


Be Still My BiBi-ting Heart

by Lord_Byron_Mudkippington



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, band au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-10-13 08:14:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20579324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington/pseuds/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington
Summary: Hanayo sees Maki, the former keyboardist of her favorite band, walking around on her university campus. If only her intense crush didn't make her say the stupidest things... Featuring the rest of the band and a clearly-amused Rin.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea in mind for the last three years, but I finally decided to write it.

Walking to class wasn't supposed to be a hazard to Hanayo's health. She'd done it for the entirety of her freshman year without any incident. The only internal struggle she was supposed to be dealing with was stress over her curriculum or her future. That was where all the trouble was supposed to lie. However, one sunny morning in late April, she found herself nearly having a heart attack on her walk towards the campus.

There was the normal amount of students heading this way and that. Not a crush of them because it was that early in the morning, but there were enough. However, there was one specific student that caught her eye. She wouldn't consider herself much of a people watcher, since the thought of getting caught staring at someone was one of her nightmares. This time she couldn't help herself, though. Walking a short distance in front of her was a girl with pretty red hair just beyond shoulder-length. She was dressed pretty nicely, with a crisp blue blazer and a black knee-length skirt. There was something familiar about her, but on her initial look, she couldn't tell.

Then the girl turned to look over their shoulder, and Hanayo was stopped in her tracks. She was frozen by those violet eyes, so beautiful and so familiar. The red hair, the violet eyes, the facial structure that she had stared at religiously for almost four years... There was no doubt in her mind that the girl was none other than Maki Nishikino. She couldn't even get her hands to move so she could at least text out her last will and testimony to Rin.

How did she know who Maki was? Who _didn't_ know who she was? She had only been the keyboardist and composer for the extremely popular musical group BiBi! They had started out as mere high schoolers, but they quickly shot up to the top of the charts and garnered tons of fans throughout Japan. One of those fans just happened to be Hanayo, who still considered going to one of their concerts two years ago to be one of the - if not _the_ \- highlight of her life. BiBi had quickly become her favorite band, and Maki was her celebrity crush. She spent probably too many nights looking at pictures of her and sighing wistfully, running her fingers across them and wondering what it would be like to date a celebrity. Rin had teased her endlessly about it, but she couldn't help it. She'd completely fallen for the piano-playing princess.

So what in the world was she doing here on her university campus, then? She knew that BiBi had broken up at the beginning of the year, a day that had been marked by her crying just a little bit. It had definitely not involved her hiding under her bedcovers and sobbing for nearly an hour. That would be an overreaction to something as simple as a band breaking up, even if they _were_ her favorite band in the world, and she would never get to hear any new music from them ever again...

Okay, let's not start crying in public... again. She was getting off track. What was Maki doing here?! She had been taking online course while touring, a fact that Hanayo remembered from an interview last summer. Perhaps, in the aftermath of the band breaking up, Maki had decided to go to school in a more physical manner. What was she doing at this university specifically, though? She was super smart and awesome! This school wasn't nearly good enough for someone of her intellect and incredible talents. Maybe she needed to investigate this further... which would be easier if she hadn't been standing in place like a dope while Maki had kept walking into the building.

Finally springing into action, she ran towards the building, pulling her phone out of her bag and fumbling to dial Rin's number. She barely let her best friend say "Hello?" before shouting into the receiver. "Code Red, Rin! Code Red! She's here, Rin! She's here!" A couple people looked at her funny, but they probably thought she was just late to class. Honestly, she might actually end up late with her new objective, but class suddenly didn't seem so important. This was peak crush hours. All of her time playing Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? was going to come into play now.

"Slow down, Kayo-chin! Who is there? And where is there, anyway? Shouldn't you be going to class?" That was somewhat amusing coming from Rin, who sometimes didn't even go to class. Usually because she overslept.

"Maki! I saw her on campus just now! She went into the business building, and I may have lost her... but she was there!" She was rambling now, barely understanding the words passing through her lips as she desperately searched for the familiar sight of red hair. There was no way she could have lost her. She wouldn't allow that to happen! Hopefully she had only gotten so far down the hall...

"Are you sure that it was Maki? Why would some big pop star be at our school?" There Rin went with her logic again. If there was anything she was known for, it was... well, ramen, or cats, or riding a skateboard on campus. Okay, so logic wasn't one of her strong suits, but she sure could be logical when it came to Hanayo's BiBi obsession. She was always trying to bring her back to reality when she was losing her mind over something or other, usually to little avail.

"She looked just like her, Rin!" To her dismay, the few people who were left in the hallway did not have red hair. "Oh no, I lost her..." She sighed and bemoaned her accursed luck. If she hadn't been frozen to the spot for so long, she could've kept up with her. Who knows what could've happened then? All that time playing Carmen Sandiego was for nothing... Sighing again, she stumbled along down the hall, as if in a daze. "I can't believe I lost her, Rin!"

"Kayo-chin, you don't even know if that was really her." Rin matched her sigh, the sound of something being rustled coming through the speaker. "Listen, I've gotta get ready for class. I actually did my homework this time! Are you gonna go to class too, or are you gonna keep searching for your future wife?" She blushed deeply at that comment.

"I-It's not like that, Rin!" She blushed harder when Rin started laughing. Maybe she shouldn't have left the story she wrote about her and Maki having the wedding a crushing teenager could only dream about up on her computer where Rin could see it. That was the kind of teasing she could never live down, no matter how much time had passed. "Maybe I _did_ just think that I saw her. Not like I'll be able to find her now..."

"Cheer up, Kayo-chin! Will you feel better if I take you out for some rice later?" That _did_ sound nice... She was about to say yes when she passed by one of the rooms in the hallway. By complete chance, she was looking at the little door window, and she nearly dropped her phone when she saw Maki in there. It was an empty classroom, so it didn't seem likely that she was in there waiting for a class to start. She was also on her phone, talking to someone with her back to the door. Though she couldn't hear what was being said, it seemed like a less-than-positive conversation. She was gesticulating forcefully, as if the person on the other line could see her. "Kayo-chin? Are you still there? I can hear you breathing."

"Shh! I found her!" She dropped her voice to a whisper, pressing a palm against the door as she stared through the glass. If only she could hear what Maki was talking about... But that would be super invasive, and she wasn't that type of person! At least, she had never believed herself to be that type of person. When it came to her celebrity crush, however, sometimes her morals had to take a backseat. There was no doubt this was Maki, though. She could recognize her hairstyle from a distance, but from up close there was no denying it.

"For real? Where? What's she doing?" She couldn't answer all those questions, though. Her attention was focused entirely on Maki. Even in the midst of an argument, she looked completely stunning. She had the most beautiful backside known to man... which was really weird, now that she let that phrasing play around in her mind. Maybe she was _too_ focused on Maki, though. She didn't do anything when she saw her hang up her phone and turn around in a huff, which meant she was now staring at the door. Her eyes widened, but Hanayo didn't realize why at first... until she realized that Maki was looking at the door, where her stupid starstruck face was just about pressed against the glass. She was totally visible!

"Crap!" She pulled away from the door, slamming her back against the wall. Her own eyes were wide now, her heart pounding with the sudden realization as to what had happened. She had been caught staring by her crush, and Maki probably thought she was a complete loony! One of those crazed fans who probably hounded her while she was trying to live a normal life. Which... admittedly she had been doing, but she wasn't like those fans! ... Probably. Ugh, she'd completely blown it! The only way to save any sense of face now was to run while she still had the chance-

"Can I help you with something?" And the chance was gone. She slowly turned towards the door, her phone being pressed painfully against her ear. There she was, Maki Nishikino, the most gorgeous girl that she had ever laid eyes on. She was standing halfway in the hallway, halfway in the classroom, her arms crossed beneath her chest and a frown on her face. The tone of her voice let her know that yes, she had seen her staring at her through the window, and no, she did not appreciate it. It was time to drop out and never show her face in public again.

"Uh... Uh..." She couldn't speak properly. What was she supposed to say anyway? She should probably apologize and slink away like a snake on its belly, but she couldn't even get _that_ out. If she didn't say something soon, she was probably gonna blurt out something super embarrassing instead, and that would make it worse. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to stare! It's just that you're-"

"I know who I am, thank you." Her eyes narrowed further, and Hanayo knew that she had just made it worse. "I suppose it's too much to ask to go more than a week without being recognized and set upon, even at a place like this." For just a moment, her guard was let down, allowing Hanayo to see that she looked tired, or just resigned to a life of little privacy. It made her feel horribly guilty. Just because she was a famous musician didn't mean Maki didn't deserve a chance to go to school like a normal person.

"No, it's not too much to ask! I'm really sorry! That wasn't my intention, I swear! It's just... I know you know who you are, but I'm a really big fan, and you're my- my, uh, m-my favorite musician, and I just couldn't believe you were here on campus!" Gods, she had almost said that Maki was her crush. That would've been absolutely devastating. "I had thought that you were taking online class, b-but not because I was looking it up or anything! I read it in a magazine last year, and it's really cool! You're still getting an education even while being such an incredible piano player, and your voice sends shivers down my spine. I always try to find mixes of BiBi's music with your isolated vocals... a-and I said something really embarrassing, didn't I?" She'd gotten out her apology, and still said something like that. Way to go, Koizumi...

"I... don't know what you're talking about. I'm not embarrassed." She said that, but there was a hint of red on her cheeks. "A-anyway, I... suppose I appreciate the compliment, but don't spy on me again, got it? I don't need more fangirls chasing me down the halls." She uncrossed her arms, but the tone of her voice let it be known that what she said was final.

"I-I got it... Do you really have fangirls chasing you down the halls? I'd always wondered..." Maki just rolled her eyes and turned around, walking towards the stairs without so much as a goodbye. Hanayo tried to say goodbye on her own accord, but it only came out as a tiny squeak. All she could do was raise her hand and meekly wave, a gesture that was again not returned. She stayed rooted to the spot, watching Maki climb the stairs with a beautiful, 'no big deal' kind of swagger, and disappear onto the second floor. Gods, she was so incredible, even while being mad at her...

A gale of laughter snapped her out of her stupor. It suddenly dawned on her that it was coming from her phone, which was still being pressed hard against her ear. She pulled it back, cringing at the visible amount of sweat on her screen. Oh, and she was also still on the phone with Rin. "Oh Gods, Rin?! You're still there?!"

"You bet your sweet bippy I am!" She could barely get any words out before more laughter would overtake her. "Oh Gods, Kayo-chin, that was the most embarrassing thing I've ever heard! I can't believe you said that to her!" Embarrassing was underselling it. Hanayo wanted to pry open one of the floor tiles, dig a hole down into the earth, and make her new residence in there. She was so utterly humiliated, and she couldn't believe she would say all that to Maki! ... Okay, actually, she could totally believe that, which made it worse.

"Why didn't you stop me from saying all that?!"

"What was I supposed to do? You're unstoppable when it comes to Maki. And it was kinda really funny." She laughed again, which made Hanayo groan and hang her head in defeat. This was the most embarrassing day of her life... "You gonna go chase after her now?"

"No, it wouldn't be right." As much as the fangirl within her was begging her to keep pursuing Maki, she knew that she shouldn't. Maki deserved a rest from all the hassle that came with being a celebrity. So as much as she wanted to run up those stairs and ask for an autograph, she resisted those impulses. She would just have to live with just being able to meet her crush, even if it involved her babbling like an idiot and getting looked at strangely. Hmm... Maybe this wasn't such a bad day. She did get to meet_ the_ Maki Nishikino!

"Kayo-chin? Are you fantasizing about her again? Jeez, you're hopeless."

"I-I wasn't!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanayo and Maki eat lunch together. Somehow Hanayo doesn't completely screw it up.

It was pretty crowded in the food court. With it being lunch time, everyone who was on campus and not in class gravitated towards the building that housed all the food. Admittedly, it was Hanayo's favorite place on campus. Not because she hated class or anything! She loved her classes, even if they sometimes stressed her out. It was just because she really loved food. She looked down at her stomach and frowned. _'Maybe a little _too_ much.'_ That freshman fifteen thing was no joke...

She didn't really like the crowds at the food court, but she persevered because she needed her rice and chicken to get through the next two classes. Rice always gave her the strength to go on, while her phone gave her the ability to ignore the people around her. Unfortunately, she couldn't block out the noise: it was as if the whispers of everyone combined together and expanded in volume, making it sound almost like everyone was shouting around her. At least she could try her best to distract herself with cute cats on Facebook.

"Um, excuse me?" Huh, that was weird. Nobody ever talked to her while she was at lunch. This wasn't high school anymore: random conversations were on the brink of extinction here. She looked up and her jaw dropped, her chopsticks clattering against the side of her bowl. Once again, she was now staring up at _the_ Maki Nishikino, and she couldn't believe this was happening again. While she was wearing a hat and a pair of glasses, there was no doubt that was still Maki. Not even having her hair tied up in a side ponytail could hide that truth from an expert fan like Hanayo. "Hey, uh... would you mind if I sit here? There aren't any other tables open."

"S-Sure!" At least she was able to answer this time instead of sitting there in stunned silence. With a nod of thanks, Maki sat down in the chair opposite her, placing her bag of food on the table. At this point, Hanayo was pretty convinced that she had somehow entered an alternate dimension. There was no way that Maki, the most beautiful and talented girl that she had ever seen, was actually sitting across from her. Not in this universe, anyway. Perhaps she was dreaming, but this was the realest dream she'd ever had. Though, there was one way to check... "Ow!"

"Why did you just pinch yourself?"

"Uh... I don't know..." She blushed and slunk down low in her seat, looking away from the weird stare she was getting from Maki. Why was she the way she was? "So, uh... what did you get for lunch?" The more embarrassed she was, the harder it was to dabble in small talk. Having to do such when it was with a famous person was infinitely harder. The closest thing they had to a famous person on campus was the girl who rode a unicycle to campus every day, and she'd never even talked to her either.

"Just a sandwich." Maki pulled the mentioned sandwich out of her bag, starting to unwrap it. Hanayo could see at least two tomatoes hanging halfway off the bread, which Maki tried to fold back into the sandwich. One successfully stayed inside, but the other refused to comply. Instead, it just fell out onto the wrapping, which got it an annoyed glare. She grabbed the offending tomato and ate it on its own, then froze with it still in her mouth when she noticed Hanayo was staring at her. Swallowing it down, she lifted a hand up and started to twirl a strand of hair around her pointer finger. "What?" She asked sharply, but the clear embarrassment on her face blunted the impact.

"N-Nothing!" She couldn't help but giggle, which made Maki's cheeks darken further. It was in that moment that the superstar musician didn't seem as above her as she'd always expected. That was a thought that didn't really stick in her mind, though. Instead, she fretted a bit about accidentally embarrassing Maki enough that she would decide to pick up her food and take her company somewhere else. That was the opposite of what she wanted! "I-Is your, uh, your sandwich good?"

"Well, I haven't taken a bite of it..." Oh, yeah, she'd only eaten that one tomato. She sure could be an idiot sometimes... "But I'm sure that it'll be fine. It usually is." She set her hand down to pick up her sandwich, taking a delicate bite out of it and sending Hanayo right back into 'She's way too good to be in my presence' territory. How did someone look so incredible when they were just eating a sandwich? This was Instagram influencer territory here. "Is, uh... Is your food any good?" Either she was also bad at small talk, or Hanayo being bad at it made her struggle to do it herself.

"Oh, it's good! The chicken's fine, you know? It usually is, but it's the rice that's absolutely divine. Now, it's not nearly as good as homecooked rice, but they do a pretty good job here if I do say so." She placed a hand on her cheek and smiled fondly. Rice was her favorite food in the entire world! Not that she thought about it all the time or anything. She wasn't _weird_... or, well,_ too_ weird. It was one of those things that she had a particular fondness for, though, and if she was super into something, she could talk about it quite a lot. Like BiBi, for instance, which she was doing her best to _not_ blather on about in front of BiBi's keyboardist. She'd probably heard enough about the band, considering she was thirty-three point three percent of that band. Repeating, of course.

"You seem to like rice a lot." Maki chuckled, her embarrassment fading since things weren't focused entirely on her anymore. Hanayo nodded before picking up another piece of chicken with her chopsticks and popping it into her mouth. It seemed that the crisis of potentially chasing off her crush had passed for the moment, but now she was worried about how she was eating. A silly thing to worry about under normal circumstances, but since she'd seen how nicely Maki ate her own food, she didn't want to look like a slob.

"So how are you liking the campus so far?" Since Maki had been taking online courses for her first year of university, this would be her first real experience at a physical campus. This was actually a legitimate question that was asked without any stuttering, and she felt that she could mentally pat herself on the back for that.

"It's pretty nice. Not much to complain about. A bit too many people, but when you're performing in front of a few thousand of them every night, you get used to it." She shrugged her shoulders, looking rather nonchalant about something that was eminently fascinating to Hanayo. However, there was something that crossed her expression for a moment that said otherwise. It was very brief, which didn't allow her to get a good look at it, but she could've sworn that it wasn't a good emotion. She frowned slightly at the thought that something was bothering Maki, but she quickly phased that frown out. It wouldn't be good if Maki noticed that she'd noticed... whatever she'd noticed.

"Yeah, it can be pretty crowded sometimes. I just try to ignore all the noise as best I can... which might be why I don't have many friends." She laughed awkwardly at that, wondering why exactly she had to put it like that. Saying that made it sound like she was a complete loser. Should she have been surprised, though? She had a history of saying really stupid things under self-made duress. "Not that I'm friendless or anything! I've got friends! I mean, I have _a_ friend, but... she's a really good friend..." She finished off with a sheepish flourish, imagining Rin laughing her butt off at her complete awkwardness.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Maki frowned deeply, setting her sandwich down as she focused intently on Hanayo. "I can go find somewhere else to sit if I'm..." She tapped her fingers on the table, searching for the specific word she wanted to use. "... intimidating you."

"No! I'm not intimidated by you!" She blushed when she realized that she had raised her voice, and she looked around to see if anyone was looking at them. A couple people were glancing their way, though their gazes didn't bother sticking around long. Still, it made her feel horrified. "I-I mean, I would be intimidated even if it was someone else. I'm not... I'm not very good at being social." That was an understatement. Even at nineteen, she was struggling to keep consistent eye contact with whoever she was talking to. Whenever she had to be in groups, she often went full Calvin Coolidge and spoke as little words as possible. There was a reason why Rin was her only real friend at this point in her life, and that was because Rin had refused to give up when she noticed how shy she why.

"You shouldn't be ashamed of that." She tore herself from her own thoughts to be surprised by what Maki was saying. Saying that she shouldn't be ashamed wasn't something she'd heard very often growing up. "I'm not a very social person myself. I only had one friend growing up as well, but we drifted apart once I joined BiBi. That just left me with an insufferable perfectionist and someone more focused on their girlfriend than on practice as friends." She looked very sour recounting that, but it went away quickly when she realized what she had just said. "That's... That's not important, though."

"You were part of a very popular band, though. Who _wouldn't_ want to be friends with you?" She asked that question almost unconsciously. Her mind was too busy working itself into overdrive over what Maki had said. Those two 'friends' she had mentioned were no doubt her former bandmates, yet she'd spoken about them with undisguised vitriol. She'd had no inkling of a clue that there was animosity within the band. It would explain them breaking up, but was it the true reason? She didn't know, and considering how mad it seemed to make Maki, she didn't really want to bring it up right now.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe how many people want to be friends with you when you're famous. They want to be around you because they might get a taste of exposure, or they want something from you. Money, autographs, maybe a link-up with the record label. They always want something... Friendship's just a secondary thing, if that." There was a noticeable anger on her face, but it quickly faded away. Instead, she just looked resigned to the fate that she had found herself in. Shaking her head slightly, she picked up her sandwich and took another bite out of it. There was a melancholic grace to her, and Hanayo wished that she had kept her mouth shut.

"I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up..." Hanayo stuttered out in a feeble voice. She had really done nothing but make a fool of herself _and_ make Maki feel bad since they met yesterday. This was a story she was really not looking forward to relaying to Rin later that day. She started to pick at her rice with her chopsticks, not feeling very hungry anymore. That was a rarity: even in some of her worst moments, she still was able to fill her stomach. This was a special case of feeling completely low.

"Hey, it's... it's fine." Maki looked completely out of sorts having to deal with Hanayo's suddenly-sad mood. She started to twirl a strand of hair around her finger again, frowning nervously. "No, really, it's okay. It's not a big deal or anything." Though she couldn't be sure how little of a deal it actually was to Maki, it at least let her look up hopefully. Could she really get yet another chance to turn this ship around and ease it into port? Though she'd likely use that choice to ram the boat halfway down the docks... "I was just trying to say that we're both kind of... socially awkward, I guess." She laughed, a light blush returning to her cheeks. "Being 'normal' around other people isn't really easy for me."

"I think you're really cool as you are, honestly. I know you probably don't like really overbearing fans, but if you stole my lunch and walked off, I'd never forget that moment." Maki snorted with laughter, shaking her head with a smile on her face. That made Hanayo smile too, since it was the first one she'd seen on Maki's face since yesterday. As far as she was concerned, that was a major step up. "I don't know if you like chicken and rice specifically, though."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to steal your food." She laughed, and Hanayo's spirits were lifted. Not only was she smiling, but she was laughing too. It seemed like a genuine laugh, at least as far as she could tell. "Huh... I don't actually know your name." Oh, that's right! She had never introduced herself!

"My name is Hanayo Koizumi." To see Maki smile at her was the most exhilarating thing in the history of her life. Her heart was soaring just knowing that, for a moment in their lifetimes, Maki Nishikino knew her name. She had_ asked_ for her name, no less! Somehow, despite her awkwardness and constant screw ups, she had gotten to this point in their conversation. If she was still running that BiBi fan blog, then she would've run right home to write up about this story. One that, to her fellow fans, would seem beyond belief. Which she understood: even as she was living this moment, it felt too good to be real.

"It's good to meet you, Hanayo." Hearing Maki saying her name... It was even better than in her fantasies, or in her fanfictions that she was definitely never going to let Maki know exist. The way her name sounded in those dulcet tones was almost indescribable. It made her feel like she'd just about reached the peak of her life. This was a moment she was never, ever going to forget. In the waning days of her existence, she would still be telling anyone who would listen about the day Maki Nishikino actually said her name out loud. 

Now that there wasn't any sudden angsty backstory to focus on, the two of them could eat their food in peace. It was mostly quiet between them, but that was okay with Hanayo. She was a bit busy freaking out in her mind about how she was having lunch with Maki. Her high school crush: the Diamond Princess. This was a dream come true, and she wanted to soak in the good moments as long as she could before she inevitably said something else that would embarrass her to death.

"Would you want to eat lunch again with me tomorrow?" Maki's question surprised Hanayo, who had become comfortable in the combination of their calm silence and her frenzied fangirl mind. What was just as surprising was the question itself. Maki actually _wanted_ to eat with her again? For real? "If you want to, that is. I'm not doing anything tomorrow besides my classes. It's not a big deal if you don't want to, though." She was twirling her hair around her finger again, a telltale trait of hers that Hanayo had seen in several interviews from her high school days. It seemed that Maki hadn't fully outgrown the tic, but Hanayo didn't think it was a bad thing. In fact, it was one of those small, cute things about Maki that had made her crush super hard.

"O-Of course I would!" She had wanted to ask a couple of questions, like "Are you sure?" or "Did you hit your head?", but she was able to restrain herself. Inserting any doubt into Maki's head might end up having her realize that there were so many better options than eating lunch with her. This was an opportunity she'd called into dozens of radio shows for, and she didn't even have to be caller number nine for this. She had better not screw it up! "Tomorrow's good for me."

"Okay then." Maki smiled, which again made Hanayo swoon. Her smile just had that effect. She was really looking forward to lunch tomorrow, and she was even excited to get back to her dorm so she could gush to Rin about what had happened. Though her first instincts were to resurrect her fan page and tell everyone what was happening, she knew better than to do that. She hadn't said it in so many words, but Maki was clearly trusting her to not blab to everyone that she was on campus, and she didn't want to break whatever trust she had managed to garner. As much as the fangirl inside her was desperate to tell everyone with ears what she was experiencing, she was going to keep it to just Rin. She could trust her best friend to keep this information to herself.

This could very well be her best year of schooling yet!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maki and Hanayo go for a drive.

"I can't believe this is happening, Rin. I really can't." Hanayo was lying on the couch in their dorm, staring up at the ceiling and swooning about who else? Over the past two weeks, she'd had lunch with Maki four times. Each time became less awkward, and opened up more avenues for conversation. Though they never diverted to a topic she truly wanted to ask about - BiBi - she was more than satisfied with getting to talk with her at all. Their latest lunch meetup, yesterday, even involved them exchanging numbers. She had Maki's actual number in her phone now! This kind of power wasn't supposed to be in the hands of mere mortals.

"Sure sounds like it." Rin rolled her eyes fondly, grunting as she laid on the floor and did sit-ups. She'd been best friends with Hanayo for about eight years now, so she was well-versed in her tendency to be overdramatic about stuff. There were certain things where the drama was ratcheted up to incredible levels, of course, and BiBi was definitely one of those things. Throughout high school, she could barely go a couple of days without having some reminder of that band entering her atmosphere. Whether it was the posters all over Hanayo's room or Hanayo rushing over to her house desperate to tell her about their latest single, it was hard to forget that they existed. Honestly, she just thought the band was okay, but she'd never told Hanayo that. She had a feeling she might end up getting excommunicated or something.

"I could call her right now if I wanted to!" She wouldn't do that, of course. Maki's time was precious, and it couldn't be wasted on a no-purpose call from her. Just the fact that she_ could_ do it at all was special enough for her. She pulled out her phone again just to see that the number was still there, smiling at it. The picture she had chosen was one from a photoshoot that she thought made Maki especially good-looking. She'd been wearing a black leather jacket and just looked totally bombastic. Maybe someday she'd get to replace it with a picture of her and Maki side by side. No Photoshop or anything.

"Then call her and ask her out." 

"I can't do that!" Hanayo sat up with a horrified expression. "I could never be good enough for someone like her!" That was such a Rin thing to say, though. She was someone who would run into things headfirst, no matter what the odds were. There was almost nothing she was afraid of doing, so asking out a celebrity was definitely within the realm of possibilities for her. Not for Hanayo, though. There were so many reason for her to stay in her little space and never venture far from it. She wasn't good enough, she wasn't pretty enough or talented enough, her status wasn't that high. There just wasn't any reason for someone like Maki to be with someone like her.

"How do you know that? You've only talked to her for what, two weeks?" Rin stood up and went over to sit down on the couch, slinging an arm over Hanayo's shoulders. "You say that you aren't good enough for someone like her, but she's still hanging around you, right? She was the one who asked to have lunch with you, and she was the one to suggest exchanging numbers. She might actually appreciate having someone like you around her." That... was true. It seemed extremely hard to believe, but it was true. At least the initiatives part. She wasn't so sure about that last thing.

"I know, but..." She sighed deeply, staring down at the floor with her hands on her knees. "It still feels too good to be true. Sometimes I just expect her to come to her senses and never speak to me again." It was a pretty negative way of viewing things, but that'd been how she lived her life up to this point. As someone who was never popular or skilled in most trades, she didn't have a lot of things to feel good about. Really, all she had was her extreme love of very specific things, and most people weren't super interested in hearing about those things every day.

"Well if she did that, then she'd be an idiot. There's no one better in this world to date than you." She hugged Hanayo tightly, making her squeak in surprise. "And anyone who can't see that is stupid!" Hanayo laughed at that, knowing that Rin was being serious. For whatever reason, her best friend was so sure that she was worthy of anyone's affection, no matter how many times she tried to tell her otherwise. When she wasn't feeling so down in the dumps about herself, she knew that she was lucky to have a friend like Rin by her side.

"I-I appreciate it, Rin, but truthfully I don't think she's looking for someone to date right now. She just wants to be able to go to school without all the attention her celebrity brings her." That was something she could totally understand, and she was fine with that. Being friends was more than enough for her! They hadn't exactly said out loud that they were friends, and she couldn't read Maki's mind to know what she was thinking, but... at least she felt like they were friends. Maki was _her_ friend at the very least, even if that wasn't reciprocated.

"Okay, then there's no better friend in the world than you! There's no escaping my positivity, Kayo-chin." She kept hugging Hanayo tightly, a physical representation of that positivity. Her grip only loosened when she heard Hanayo's phone ringing. "Ooh, could that be Maki?"

"I don't think so, Rin. It's probably my mom." However, when she looked at her phone, she was shocked that find that it was indeed Maki that was calling her. Her eyes widened, giving Rin all she needed to know that she was right in who it was. It helped that she peered over Hanayo's shoulder to look and make sure, though. "Oh... Oh Gods, it's Maki! What do I do?!"

"Answer it!" Right! If she let it go to voicemail, that would seem rude. Ohh, but she wasn't ready for this! She was still hesitating, so Rin took the initiative and answered the call for her. Silently freaking out, she put the phone to her ear and desperately stared at Rin for guidance.

"H-Hello?"

"Hey Hanayo." It really _was_ her: no fake number or anything. "I was going to go for a drive. Would you like to come with me?" There was a touch of hesitation in her voice, but it was barely noticeable to Hanayo. What she was focused on was that Maki wanted to hang out with her. It was just a drive to no mentioned destination, if there was a destination at all. That didn't matter, though. She would spend all day sitting on the couch and doing nothing if it meant she could be in Maki's presence.

"Absolutely!" Rin gave her a thumbs up, beaming brightly. "D-Do you want me to meet you somewhere?"

"Nah, I can come pick you up. Which side of the dorms are you on?"

"I-I'm on the east side."

"Okay. Head down to the east side parking lot and I'll meet you there." 

"S-See you there!" They hung up, and Hanayo could only stare blankly at her phone. Maki wanted to go on a drive with her. Where to, she didn't know. It didn't matter, though. Maybe Maki was going to drive her to a remote location, kill her, and bury her in the woods. Honestly, that'd be the way she'd want to go.

"Earth to Kayo-chin!" She snapped out of it, blinking and focusing again on Rin. Only then did she realize that her friend was pushing on her shoulder. "C'mon, get up! Are you going to meet Maki or not?!" Oh Gods, she had to get down to the parking lot! She jumped onto her feet, looking down at herself in despair. Her outfit consisted of a plain yellow t-shirt and gray sweatpants: not exactly an attractive outfit, especially when she was going to be spending time with Maki.

"I can't go meet her like this! I look like a slob!" She whined desperately, stepping over Rin's legs so she could head for her room. "I need help!" Slamming her door open, she nearly ran into her laundry basket in her haste to remove her shirt and pants. She was already throwing them onto the bed and rushing into her closet by the time Rin made her way into the room.

"I don't know why you think I can help. You know I'm not great with the whole fashion thing." If there was one thing that Rin _didn't_ have confidence in, it was the realm of fashion. She'd never felt comfortable in overly feminine clothing growing up, and it was only with Hanayo's patient belief in her that she could even wear a skirt now without feeling strange. Still, she wasn't very versed in what clothing went well with someone's hairstyle or whatever. She didn't know the specific definition of what would look good on someone: she'd just know it if she saw it. Unfortunately, Hanayo didn't have enough time to try on all her clothes so Rin could pick one of them.

"No, no, no..." She looked through her hung clothes at a rapid pace, trying to find anything that wouldn't completely embarrass her to wear in Maki's presence. Any clothes that were on hangers were her nicest attire, but even they didn't seem to be good enough. After cruising through half of her clothes, she pulled out a knee-length yellow dress with blue dots, holding it against her body and turning to Rin for approval. "What about this?" It was as if she hadn't heard Rin saying she wasn't knowledgeable about this kind of thing.

"Looks good!" She gave Hanayo two thumbs up, knowing that she looked good in any outfit that she had in her closet. The quicker she chose one, the quicker she could get down there and friend it up with her crush. She went over and made sure Hanayo would have her wallet and a handbag to hold it in before heading out into the living room to pick up Hanayo's phone that she had dropped. When she put both items in the handbag, Hanayo hustled out of her room in her pretty yellow dress. "Here you go, Kayo-chin. You forgot your tights, by the way."

"Thanks! And thanks!" She took the handbag and ran right back into her room, grabbing a pair of tights and tugging them on. Thankfully they didn't rip in her haste, and she was right back out and nearly slamming into the front door. Putting on her shoes, she waved at Rin and shouted "Bye!" before she was out of the dorm. With a quiet chuckle, Rin went over and locked the door.

"I can't wait to hear how this goes."

* * *

She had been feeling nervous during the call, but it had been like a buzz in the back of her head until she got outside. Once she started walking down to the parking lot, those feelings became front and center in her brain. It was as if her feet were guiding her by themselves, because otherwise she would've ran back into the dorm and feigned sickness. All of Rin's positive words had vanished into the ether, to be replaced with near-crippling fear. How was she supposed to not make a fool of herself this time?

In a way, it was funny that she still felt this way. She'd had lunch with Maki a whole four times now, and by now they didn't have much problem conversing among themselves. What made this any different? One word: dating. As in, this sounded like a date, and that was a completely different scenario than a friendly lunch. Now, it could very well be just a friendly drive, and it probably _was_ going to be a friendly drive, but that didn't stop her from overanalyzing everything that she possibly could. 

When she got down to the parking lot, she could see a red sportscar idling by the curb near the front office. That had to be her, then. She remembered seeing that exact car in one of BiBi's music videos. So it was Maki's car, then. That made sense, since it was a fancy, expensive-looking car. It fit with Maki's upper class upbringing: plus it was red. You know, like... like her hair. Which was also red. Was that a stretch?

As she approached the car, the passenger side window was rolled down. That seemed like as good a sign as any. She came over to the car and bent over, relieved to see that it was Maki sitting in the driver's seat. "Hop in." Nodding, she opened the door and got into the passenger's seat, closing the door and putting on her seatbelt. "You look nice." She almost got whiplash trying to look at Maki, barely able to believe she'd heard those words come from her mouth. Maki was now very focused on putting the car in drive, though there was a nice shade of red on her cheeks.

"O-Oh, th-thank you..." She was definitely matching Maki's blush, staring pointedly down at her legs. Had Maki really said she looked nice? She could scarcely believe it, but it had certainly sounded like she'd said that. Why would she look embarrassed if she hadn't? Maybe this dress was a good choice after all. She silently thanked Rin as Maki drove them out of the parking lot.

"The color looks nice on you." They had been driving silently for about two minutes before Maki threw that one out there, as if she was trying to justify why she'd said something so embarrassing in the first place. It didn't stop either of them from blushing all over again, though, or lapsing back into silence. "Did... you sleep well?" There was some degree of relief in finding out that Maki appeared to be just as uncomfortable in social situations as she was. It wasn't the way she'd portrayed herself in interviews or at concerts, but she'd always been the one most in the background during them, even while singing. Thinking about it in that way, it was understandable.

"Yes. Did you?" Maki just nodded, keeping her eyes on the road. This was one of the more awkward car rides she'd been on, though she wasn't necessarily regretting getting in the car. First off, she was in there with Maki, which negated a lot of the socially-sad vibes. Secondly, she had never gotten to ride in a cool sports car before. It was so sleek and fancy, and she was able to use the minutes of silence to admire the interior.

The radio was playing some sort of classical piano piece, though she wasn't sure which one it was. She'd never been big into classical music, having always leaned more towards pop and rock: specifically idol-style music. It was a far cry from the music that BiBi had played, though it wasn't farfetched to hear it coming from the speakers of Maki's car. She knew that Maki had grown up as a piano prodigy, and she was extremely skilled with the keys. This was the kind of music she probably played frequently when she was younger. Maybe she still did it now in her spare time. Ohh, to hear her playing the piano...

"Do you mind if I roll down the window?" It was going to be pretty loud with the speeds they were currently driving, but she acquiesced, as she saw no real reason to say no. Maki was the one driving, so she had to right to roll down the windows if she wanted. With a slight smile, she rolled down the driver's side window and stuck a hand out of it. She waved her hand around slightly, letting it skim the air as the car carved through it. "Sometimes it still feels like the road is the only place I can find peace."

"Oh..." Hanayo squirmed in her seat, unsure of what to say. Yet again, Maki was giving off vibes that she was dealing with something internally. With all of these moments swirling in her head, she was really starting to believe that the amicable break-up BiBi had gone through was a bit more acrimonious than originally believed. It made her so unbelievably curious as to what had happened, but she couldn't get herself to ask. Whatever it was obviously was affecting Maki, but it also appeared to be private. They hadn't been friends that long, and she didn't even know if it had to do with BiBi anyway. Not that she should be asking, since there was the whole 'privacy' thing.

For the first time since she entered the car, she wondered where they were going. She still didn't much care where their destination was, as long as she got to spend time with Maki. That didn't mean she wasn't at least a little bit curious, though. She just hoped that they weren't driving too far away, since she still had class tomorrow and didn't want to miss anything new being taught. Having to play catch-up made her feel too anxious.

Thankfully, they didn't end up going out of the city. They pulled into the parking lot of what looked like a large auditorium, which only increased her curiosity more. Maki parked the car and rolled up the window, shutting off the engine before stepping out of the car. Hanayo quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and followed suit, heading around the car to find Maki grabbing something from the backseat. It was the same hat and glasses she'd been wearing when they had lunch together. She put them on and headed towards the auditorium, with Hanayo faithfully following behind her.

When they got inside, she could tell that it was an auditorium for music specifically. There were signs on the wall directing people to specific rooms for both concerts and musical instructors. The building was very spacious: the kind of building that would house musical prodigies like Maki. She wondered if it was okay for her to be here, even as a guest. There was not a musical bone in her body, unless playing Electroplankton counted as musical 'talent'.

They walked down the halls, past a few doors, until they stopped in front of a concert hall. Her jaw dropped when she saw the name above the doors: 'Nishikino Concert Hall'. This was Maki's room specifically? Holy cow... When she next looked at Maki, she was glancing away with no small degree of embarrassment. She must have seen Hanayo gawking at the room's name.

"My father donated to the auditorium. That's why it has our name. It isn't a big deal..." She looked very uncomfortable as she pulled a key out of her pocket, unlocking the doors and pushing them open. There had been a piece of paper on the right door with a schedule, but it seemed that there was time for a quick visit. One that didn't involve talking about the whole 'named concert hall' thing, since it didn't seem to be a good topic for Maki. She was a mysterious girl, that was for sure.

The hall was empty, which made the closing doors seem that much louder. It made Hanayo jump, but Maki seemed completely unfazed. She'd probably been in this room plenty of times before, playing the piano with the kind of skill that most people could only dream of. Hanayo looked up at the stage and imagined Maki sitting behind an elegant grand piano, playing her beautiful music in front of a packed auditorium. It wouldn't be the same music that BiBi made, but she would've loved to be in the audience cheering after an impassioned sonata.

They walked down between the seats until they reached the first row. Maki sat down in the leftmost section, one seat from the edge. Hanayo took the seat next to her, wondering what they were doing there. She took a look at Maki, who was leaning back in her seat and staring up at the stage. It was as if she was watching a performance that no one else could see. Maybe she was reminiscing about one of her own from back in the day. She decided to just stay quiet until Maki decided to talk.

"This was where I performed my first concert. I was seven and I was so nervous." She laughed, resting an arm across the back of Hanayo's seat. "Playing the piano in front of your instructor and your parents in much different than doing it in front of dozens of people. It went well, though. I didn't mess up, and everyone cheered when I finished. It felt... good. I had found something I enjoyed doing, and I was actually good at it.

"I've been on this stage plenty of times before. I've performed dozens of concerts, both here and elsewhere in Japan. It never got old, though. This was somewhere where I could be in a room full of people and not feel uncomfortable. It was like I was separated from them when I was on the stage. Not like I was better than them or something..." She frowned slightly, trying to change around her words to better reflect what she meant. "It was just a place where I wouldn't have to worry about saying the wrong thing or accidentally intimidating someone. Up there was where I felt the safest."

"I understand that." As someone who was constantly saying something stupid around other people, she could definitely relate to that. Her own safe place had been her room, but she could see why this place would be a haven for Maki. It was where she could perform wonderful music in front of an audience that would cheer for her while simultaneously keeping a safe distance. There wasn't any worry about being judged, at least to her face. Though there wasn't an actual barrier around the stage, she could imagine there being an invisible one: one held together by the rules of the auditorium.

"I miss it, though." She smiled fondly, the past playing like a movie in her eyes. "Between school and the band, there was never any time to come here and perform like I used to. The one time I tried it, so many of our fans stormed the auditorium that there were several injuries and some property damage. They told me that it might be best if I kept my appearances here to a minimum after that." Her gaze broke away from the stage, a quiet sigh passing her lips as she seemed to be staring off into nothing. "Sometimes I wish that I hadn't even joined BiBi..."

Hanayo gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. Her fangirl heart could barely believe those words had been said. Then again... At times, she'd felt as if BiBi was her life, but for Maki, it really _had_ been her life. There was no doubt in her mind that something had happened to make her feel this way about a band that had made her famous throughout Japan. She was still in the dark about the specifics, but she wanted to help. If there was something she could do to make Maki feel better, then she wanted to do it. Not because she'd had a crush on this girl for years, but because they were friends. 

"I don't know what you're going through, Maki, but... but I can tell that you've been keeping it inside for some time now. A-And I don't know if I'm someone you feel comfortable talking to about it, but if you wanted to talk to someone, then I would listen. I would sit here all day and listen to whatever you wanted to tell me. That's what friends are supposed to do." She looked away shyly, quickly losing her confidence after saying all that. "If... If you think we're friends, of course..."

"Hanayo..." She looked back up to see indecisiveness on Maki's face. It was the years of never being able to trust someone's friendly intentions playing out in front of her. Eventually, after what felt like a long time of her staring at Hanayo's face, she nodded with a soft smile. "We _are_ friends. I... suppose I needed time to get used to having one of those again." She twirled a strand of hair around her finger, rolling her eyes at what she had just said. "That's probably not something I should be saying out loud, is it?" 

"It makes me feel better about having one friend at least." Hanayo giggled, then smiled as she realized that information wasn't accurate anymore. "Well, now I have _two_ friends. My mom will be proud that I'm making friends at school." They both laughed at that, the tension that had settled on the room beginning to evaporate. It was hard to believe that the two of them had anything in common, but though it wasn't a positive thing, she was glad it was there. At least they weren't opposites in every way.

"I'm going to need to make another friend so you don't get too far ahead of me, then."

"Well, you could always be friends with Rin. She can be a bit... excitable, but she's been my best friend for years, and she's a really good person." This wasn't something that she had talked over with Rin, but she hoped that would be okay. Rin had always been able to easily make friends with random people: a trait that had yet to rub off on her. She could only hope that it would be the same way with Maki, assuming she even wanted to be friends with someone she never met.

"I would need to meet her first, but I suppose the three of us could get together sometime." That was an encouraging sign. Hanayo smiled brightly, a smile that Maki returned in a more restrained form. She stood up and walked over to the front of the stage, Hanayo's eyes following her over. "Have you ever been up on stage before?" She started to head over to the left side, where a small staircase allowed them to climb up.

"Not since I was ten." She got up and followed Maki up the stairs. "I was that kid that had to be a tree in the school play." She blushed when she heard Maki laugh, but it wasn't entirely because she was embarrassed. Maki's laugh managed to do what many things Maki did: transfix her. The tone of her laugh was so airy, like the fanciest, silken sound imaginable. It didn't sound like there was any effort put into it. She just laughed, and it was a wondrous sound. It wasn't shyly silent, nor overbearingly loud. She wished that she had more things to say that could draw that perfect laugh from Maki's perfect lips.

They ended up sitting at the edge of the stage together, legs dangling over the orchestra pit. Maki was probably thinking they were just sitting there with a normal amount of distance between them. That was what most people would think. To Hanayo, however, they felt so close together. The silence gave off an almost romantic feeling that she was a hundred percent sure wasn't being reciprocated. She couldn't shake it, though. If she moved her hand any closer, it'd be touching Maki's. They would look at each other, surprised by the sudden contact. It'd be embarrassing at first, but they'd lean in closer without thinking about it. Their eyes would close, their lips growing ever-closer...

Her face was red when she came back to reality, and she stared at the entrance doors in the hope that Maki wouldn't notice. If she did, she might have to explain exactly what she was embarrassed about, and she knew better than to say that out loud. She'd been fantasizing about kissing Maki for years, though. It was a scenario she'd actually dreamed about before. There were other things that happened in some of those dreams that she should really not be thinking about at the moment, but there was plenty of kissing involved. If they actually did kiss, though, she wasn't sure if her poor heart could take it. She didn't want Maki to have to explain to the cops that they'd only kissed once, and then she had just dropped dead.

"There's something incredible about the view from the stage. It feels like you can see everything." Thankfully, it didn't appear that Maki had noticed. Hanayo had to focus up so she didn't miss anything important being told to her. It wouldn't be very good of her to say she would listen, then immediately space out. "It was what I loved most about being in BiBi. Not the fame or the money or anything. Just being able to look out from behind my keyboard and see all those people cheering for us... The first packed concert we ever had was probably the most exhilarating moment in my life."

"I went to a BiBi concert two years ago. It was exhilarating for me too." That was understating it. She'd done her best to say as little about BiBi as she could, knowing that Maki clearly had some issues with the group. However, hearing her actually talk about them in a positive light made it hard for her to stay silent. The nerdy little fangirl inside her was clawing its way up. "I mean _really_ exhilarating. When you performed Diamond Princess's Melancholy, it was like a... spiritual awakening or something. My throat hurt for a couple days afterwards from screaming so much."

"People do seem to like that song." She chuckled quietly, leaning back on her hands. That put them in a position where Hanayo didn't have to worry about them accidentally touching anymore. "It's kind of funny: I wrote that song during a very confusing time in my life, but I've seen so many different interpretations of the lyrics online. People can believe what they want, though. I'll always know what it means." Hanayo wanted to ask what the words really meant, but she refrained from asking. She'd always had her theories...

"It's my favorite song in the band's entire catalog. Don't get me wrong, every song is great in their own way, but Diamond Princess's Melancholy is something else entirely. However someone may interpret them, the lyrics are powerful, and the instruments work together brilliantly. Your piano playing mixed with Eli's guitar work really brings out the best in the song. But it's your voice that really sells it. The lyrics make it seem like you're unsure about something, but you sing so confidently about it. Your voice is just so amazing that it makes my spine tingle!" She might as well have had stars in her eyes while she said that. Her hands were clasped together as she gushed about her favorite song.

"Oh, uh... Thank you..." Maki blushed deeply, digging her elbows into her legs now as she hid her reddened cheeks in her hands. Hanayo had reached that peak where she didn't even realize what was going on next to her. She was in a world that she was intimately familiar with, and it was tough to put the cap back on the bottle sometimes. "It's a nice song, I guess. Kind of hard to listen to anything we made now, though."

"Why?" It was a simple question, but one in which Hanayo knew right away that she shouldn't have asked. Her eyes widened in realization, her hands going up to cover her mouth. She'd been so deep into her own little BiBi world that she'd had a lapse in judgment. Before this, she'd known better than to try and make Maki delve deeper into what had happened between her and the other band members, but she'd messed up this time. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to ask that!"

"It's fine." Maki's voice was nonchalant with a hint of past pain hidden within. However, she looked somewhat panicked when she noticed tears forming in Hanayo's eyes. "Woah, hey! It's okay, really!" She put a hand on Hanayo's shoulder, surprising herself with the sudden contact. "Look, it's... it's okay, really. Honestly, I've... I've never told anyone about what happened. Of course the press asked, and our fans asked, and we put on a happy face and said it was amicable. That we were just taking a break: moving on to different things. Only myself, Eli, Nico, our manager, and the sound engineer know what happened, and I'm kind of not speaking to them at the moment..."

"Do you... want to talk about it?" She whispered the question meekly, partially hoping that Maki wouldn't hear it. If she did hear it, and didn't want to talk about it, then she'd apologize profusely and make sure to sit there gloomily to make up for it. 

"Honestly? I do. It doesn't feel so bad to talk about it when it's with you." She smiled with what was becoming a trademark blush on her face. Though to be fair, they were probably sharing that trademark. "There's something... calming about being around you. Maybe that's what having a friend is supposed to feel like." Then she seemed to realize what she was saying, and she immediately started to stumble over her words. "I-I mean, you're cool, you know? I... I'll talk about it o-or whatever. It's not actually a big deal..." Her hand went up so hard to start twirling her hair that she smacked herself in the side of the head. "Ow..."

"A-Are you okay?" She was concerned, but it was also pretty funny. They both were acting like a mess. She expected that from herself, of course. From Maki, though? It was really hard to reconcile the cool, princess-like girl from her posters with the blushing, socially awkward girl sitting next to her. Maybe celebrities actually _were_ just human. In a way, that was a comforting thought to have. She still wasn't sure that she could treat her like any other girl in good conscience, though. It didn't feel right after years of having put her up on a pedestal.

"I'm fine." Maki huffed, clearly embarrassed but trying not to show it. That didn't work very well. "Anyway, I'll talk about it, if you still want to hear it?" Hanayo smiled and nodded, wondering what to expect from this backstory she was unlocking. No matter what it was, though, she was ready to listen. That was what friends did.

"I do."

"Alright then..."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We go back in time a bit to see what caused BiBi to break up.

Maki approached the studio in a very sour mood. She knew she was late to record their next song, but traffic had kept her on the road for more time than expected. Her music books and various notes for the song they were going to play were being held tightly against her chest as she walked over to the door, trying to push it open with her side. It took more effort than she would've liked, and it nearly slammed right back on her before she was able to slip inside the building.

She was not looking forward to getting to the recording booth. There was no doubt that Nico was going to make some sort of smartass comment about how she was late, and how the 'spoiled little princess can't show up at the same time as the other peons'. They were comments that she'd been able to tolerate for a couple years now, but lately they were growing insufferable. _Nico_ was growing insufferable, and it made it hard to even be in the same room as her.

"Sorry I'm late." She struggled to get the door open and not drop all her papers, but she did do it, at least. Nico was slumped in a chair against the back wall, scrolling through her phone with her stupid face plastered on the case. Sitting on one of the amps was Eli, and it was not surprising in the least that Nozomi was standing right next to her. While Eli's girlfriend wasn't a bad person, she could be just as insufferable as Nico: just in a different, more teasing way. Plus, she was a complete distraction, and no matter how many times they mentioned it to Eli, she'd insist that there was no problem. She was just a dumb blonde too obliviously in love to realize it. It was annoying.

"Oh look, the spoiled little princess finally shows up to grace us peons with her presence." Nico spoke without looking up from her phone, noticeable annoyance in her voice. Wow, that had almost been exactly what Maki had expected her to say. That didn't make it any more tolerable, though. Seething, she walked across the studio and slammed her papers down on the nearest chair.

"I don't control the traffic, Nico!" She looked away from that little gremlin and took a deep breath, trying to do the calm breathing exercises that she'd found online. Her temper was starting to get the better of her, and she didn't want to get into another shouting match again. Lately, it seemed like she and Nico was screaming at each other more than actually playing their instruments. She wanted just one day where they could record and not get derailed by these same arguments.

"Just take one of your private helicopters or something." Nico was as dismissive and uncaring as always. It made it really hard to concentrate on her breathing. As it turned out, it was just easier to give in and turn on Nico.

"Why are you so up my ass about my family being rich?! Last I checked, we're all not hurting for money at the moment. That includes you!" She knew that Nico hadn't come from a very prosperous household, but she hated how Nico treated her family's wealth as some kind of personal affront. It wasn't her fault that Nico had it rough growing up! Besides, they all had plenty of money from their recording contract, concerts, and merchandise. Where the hell did she get off saying that trash?

"Yeah, but you act so stuck up about it. Like you can just spend money and it doesn't even leave a dent." Nico put her phone away and crossed one leg over the other, folding her arms beneath her chest. "Not all of us can just buy a stupid sports car in good conscience." What the heck was that supposed to mean?! She had heard Nico specifically talking about how good she'd look on the hood of a sports car last month!

"C'mon girls, let's calm down..." Eli, the voice of reason when she didn't have her mouth glued to Nozomi's, came over to break things up. She headed directly for Maki, placing her hands on her shoulders and blocking her view of Nico. Nozomi did the same for Nico, though that didn't stop her from trying to bounce on her toes to see over Nozomi's shoulders. "Maki's here, so let's record, okay?"

"Fine." Nico walked away from Nozomi, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she stepped into the recording booth. With no more gremlin to guard, Nozomi took a seat in a chair facing the booth. Her hands were folded in her lap and there was a serene smile on her face. She may have seemed innocent, but she was actually a serial annoyer. Maki couldn't even remember how many practices were interrupted or sessions that were cut early because of something involving the buxom vixen. If Eli could just get through an entire song without deciding she needed to go be way too close to Nozomi...

"Maki?" Eli was still standing in front of her, hands on her shoulders. She dropped her voice to a whisper to make sure only the two of them heard what she was about to say. "I know Nico can be a little... _much_, but please don't get into any more fights with her. It'd be nice to have some harmony in here for once." Maki just stared at her with wide eyes, sputtering and unable to respond. She also wanted harmony, but why was it her fault?! Nico was the one being an insufferable little brat! She curled her hands into fists, struggling to keep her breathing until control.

Being too angry to even answer Eli, she just grabbed her papers and stormed into the recording booth. They were a complete mess when she laid them on her keyboard, and she had to spend some time sorting them back into an understandable order. This got some not-so-subtle sighs from Nico, and by that point her rage had manifested into her body shaking where she stood. It wasn't fair! Why was she the only one being picked on?! It was seriously pissing her off!

Most of her anger was reserved for Nico in that moment, but she had some sectioned off for Eli too. Why was she taking Nico's side, first of all? Second of all, why was she acting like she wasn't the main source of distraction in their group. Sure, her and Nico argued plenty of times, but at least they got there and did their takes- Okay, deep breaths, deep breaths... It was going to be okay. She could do this.

They were able to start recording their new track, led by the band's manager. As their manager, he had been able to bring out the best in their disparate personalities over the years, but even he seemed to have been worn down by the constant in-fighting. He had gained the ability to just stand there in silence while they all fought among themselves, either unable or unwilling to put himself in between them. They were just allowed to duke it out, metaphorically.

One take was completed, but Nico, perfectionist that she was, wasn't satisfied with it. That was just a warm-up for her voice, and this next take would give their fans true justice. Eli and Maki agreed, because it was better to do so than to try and convince her otherwise. So they started up again, but about halfway through the recording got a sudden injection of Eli giggling. Both Maki and Nico stopped as soon as they heard it, though Eli continued playing her guitar for a few seconds until she realized that nobody else was joining in.

"Are you serious right now, Eli?" Nico sounded exasperated, and Maki couldn't blame her. This was happening way too often for it to be ignored. She looked out the booth's window, seeing the innocent expression on Nozomi's face. It was obviously a sham, though: there was no doubt that she had been doing something to distract Eli, who just couldn't stop herself from looking out at her. She was probably also showing off or something. So annoying...

"What? You can't edit that out or something?" She looked over at their manager, who shook his head. Then she looked at the sound engineer, who gave her the same response. "Oh. My bad." She laughed, but she was the only one who found the situation funny. "Let's just start again. I won't laugh this time, promise."

"No." Eli and Nico turned to look at Maki, who had surprised herself by speaking up. It wasn't that she was always silent about these things, but she usually didn't stand up to make declarative statements. She was tired, though, and she was honestly fed up with the proceedings. "We're not going to restart until Nozomi goes home. All she does is distract you and it's pissing me off." Eli's jaw dropped, just as surprised as Maki was about her saying that. She looked into Maki's eyes, trying to see any hint of her backing down, but she was resolute.

"Yeah, I agree with Maki. Nozomi's gotta go-zomi." Nico stepped over towards Eli, clutching her microphone in her hand. "Look at her smiling at us with that devious smile. I don't want her in the studio anymore. If you two want to laugh at each other's mind link jokes or suck face, you need to do it at home."

"I..." Eli was completely caught off guard by this two-pronged assault. It was rare to see Nico and Maki on the same side, but they clearly had strong feelings about Nozomi... and it kind of upset her. "I think you two are being unfair towards Nozomi." She crossed her arms and decided to stand her ground. It wasn't fair of them to be rude to someone who had been nothing but kind in return. "Sure, we laugh a little bit, but it's not _that_ distracting! She deserves to be here just as much as any of us do. Besides, I think you two are just jealous that you don't have anyone to date like I do."

"Excuse me?!" "What is that supposed to mean?!" Both of them started shouting at Eli, which got Nozomi's attention. She stood up, frowning at the silent show that was happening behind the wall. "I don't need a girlfriend, thank you very much!" "Nico will never be tied down to one person! Nico belongs to the world!" Oh boy. When Nico was talking about herself in the third person, you knew it was serious.

"Woah woah, calm down!" Eli backed up against the wall and stuck her hands up in surrender. "Also, why are you mad at me for laughing during the song? Nico constantly stops our recordings to make some sort of comment that one of us isn't doing well." Huh... Actually, that was true. Maki hadn't really thought about it, but Nico_ did_ occasionally halt a take because she didn't think either of them were doing as well as they should be. Hmm... Maybe they should boot Nico from the studio too.

"That is completely different! When I stop the song, it's because that take wasn't going to be good anyway. When you do it, it's because you can't stop making googly eyes at your girl. It's different, and it's annoying." She got up right in Eli's face - or, rather, her chin - and stared her down. "I don't even do it that often! Like what about now? Maki was slipping behind the beat, and I didn't say anything about it."

"How am I involved in this?!" It would've been easy to just brush that comment aside and work towards removing Nozomi from the premises, but Maki wasn't able to take those comments in stride. She was never happy to hear Nico talking smack about her performances, and today especially she was not in the mood for it. "There was nothing wrong with my playing! You were the one who said we had to record this again because of your pitchy singing." She stormed over into the fray, really showing just how short Nico was amongst the group. By this point, Nozomi was already heading over to the booth to try and break things up.

"Pitchy?_ Pitchy?!_" Nico's voice jumped up a couple octaves, which made it practically ear-splitting. Saying anything bad about Nico's voice was tantamount to an unforgivable crime. Not that that had stopped Twitter... "How dare you say such things! I'm the lead singer here! Everybody loves my voice!" She was projecting, and Maki and Eli both knew it. 

"I dunno, Nico. By the download counts, people really seem to enjoy mine and Eli's solo voices." In the back of her mind, Maki knew that she shouldn't be saying that. This was exactly what Eli had meant when she said to not antagonize Nico. She was already deep in feeling that it was unfair, though, and in that moment she wanted it to hurt. There was a grin on her face when she saw the desired effect flashing in Nico's eyes. She shouldn't have said anything, but it felt so good to say it.

"You think you're so good? Then _you_ do it!" She threw her mic at Maki, who barely caught it. "You do the singing, and show everyone what a big, strong voice you have! Lest anyone think that the little princess needs anyone else in her closed-off little life." Maki frowned, feeling remorse already starting to crop up. She didn't notice Nozomi coming into the booth and immediately heading for Eli. Maybe she had crossed a line with what she had said... "Should I start writing lyrics in your place? Or can you not sing songs about anything but confused wailing about how the princess who has had everything laid out for her is sad that papa never kissed her goodnight?" Okay, the remorse was fading.

"Wh-What... How... E-Excuse me?!" She could barely get her words out, and now the grin was on Nico's face. Any thoughts of her having gone too far were quickly pushed back into the recesses of her mind. Now she was infuriated, and she would do anything to wipe that smug grin off her face. "My lyrics are actually thought out, unlike yours! All you sing about is how great you are! And guess what? You're not. Maybe great at making people want to throw up."

"My voice has given inspiration to children everywhere! It lets them know that no matter where you grow up, you can become someone great. Your voice lets people know that they can just buy their way into being famous."

"Are you saying my piano playing isn't good enough to be in this band without my money?!"

"Eli may have discovered you playing the piano in the music room, but I'm not sure you didn't slip her a little yen to grease those wheels."

"That's ridiculous! Maybe she let you in because she took pity on you."

"Nobody is going to pity a voice like mine!"

"I certainly feel sorry for you."

"Uh, girls?" Eli looked at the two bickering bandmates meekly, having been overwhelmed by the sudden vitriol between them. She was suddenly wishing that she'd taken her own advice and not provoked this. Nozomi squeezed her hand reassuringly, which was the only comfort she had in this tense situation. "Maybe we should get back to practice-"

"Shut up, Eli!" They both shouted at her, making her step back in shock. The arguments continued, and it seemed that nobody else felt comfortable trying to break it up. Eli was certainly not going to try it again, and Nozomi was just stunned into silence. The engineer and the manager both didn't seem to know what to do. All they could do was watch them bicker back and forth like the world's most uncomfortable tennis match.

"Forget you, Nico! Forget this whole thing!" She was getting sick and tired of this treatment. Just because she was the youngest didn't mean she had to take this. She was thirty-three percent of the band, gods dammit! "You know what? You suck!" With such a stern statement out there in the open, she threw the microphone back at Nico. She'd meant to have it hit her hands, but she was angry and didn't aim it right. So instead of her hands, it hit her right in the nose.

"Ow! Ow Gods, what the hell, Maki?!" The microphone clattered to the ground as Nico held her hands against her nose. Maki took a step back, eyes wide. Now all eyes were on her. Their manager stood up with a serious look on his face, and she knew that she had messed up. She was quickly overwhelmed by all the emotions swirling around her brain, and she didn't know how to properly handle them. So she turned around and ran out of the studio, leaving her notes and her band members behind.

She left the building entirely, breaking into a run as soon as she was outside. Her car was left behind, and she didn't pay attention to anyone who she ran past. All she wanted to do was put as much distance as possible between her and the other band members. Soon enough, her running left her in front of a McDonald's. Exhausted and panting hard, she went inside and headed for the bathroom, slouching to try and seem less visible to the people eating.

In the bathroom, she locked herself in a stall, sat down on the toilet, and started to cry. Silent tears fell down her cheeks as she covered her face with her hands, her body shaking with her crying. The occasional sob escaped her, but she did her best to clamp down on that. It was humiliating enough that she was crying in public like this: to be heard doing so would make it so much worse. She could only imagine the awful headlines that would follow it.

At least in the privacy of this fast food restaurant she could let herself be miserable. She could cry until there were no more tears in her body, but it wouldn't take away what had happened. That entire scene had been a complete disaster, and she knew deep down that she was partially responsible for it. She didn't have to say all those terrible things to Nico. She hadn't had to refuse to play until Nozomi was removed from the room. If she had kept her mouth shut like Eli had asked her to, this all could've been avoided.

Nico didn't need to say the things she'd said either, though... All of those comments were swimming around her head now, striking at her brain to make her feel even lower. She knew that those things weren't true, but her stupid brain was making her doubt herself. Had she really only been able to get this far because she was rich? Did that make her not worthy of being in the band? Was she just supposed to give up? She didn't know, but the thoughts refused to leave her alone.

Time passed, and the tears eventually dried up. She furiously dried her eyes off with her sleeve, making herself as presentable as she could before she left the stall. Thankfully there was no one else in there to witness her complete breakdown, so she could do whatever she could to pretend that it hadn't happened. Standing as straight and as confidently as she could under the circumstances, she walked out of the bathroom, out of the restaurant, and into the complete unknown.

The next time she saw her bandmates, she told them she was quitting.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maki finally gets to meet Rin, who promised not to be too overbearing. She'll merely be bearing.

Hanayo sat at her computer, but she wasn't paying attention to the coursework she was supposed to be doing. Since yesterday, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about what Maki had told her. She'd finally gotten closure on the reason her favorite band broke up, and it was all she could think of now. However, it wasn't because she was distraught about them breaking up. Admittedly, she was, but it wasn't exclusively because of the band itself anymore: it was because of Maki.

While she was happy that Maki trusted her enough to confide in her what had happened, it was painful to know the story. She felt terrible for Maki, knowing that she had been in that trying situation. Whenever she heard someone saying negative things about BiBi, her first instinct had been to vociferously defend them. That was the best band in the world they were talking about! Who would say such bad things about them, or any of their members? It was really tough to believe that the members themselves would be saying those negative things about each other. 

Tougher still was knowing who was in the right and who was in the wrong. Were any of them right _or _wrong? They'd all said things they probably regretted now that time had passed, at least in Maki's case. She had been able to see that in her eyes. For whatever reason, they hadn't reconnected: could have been pride, or shame, or both. Maybe it was something else entirely. All she knew was that she didn't have the answers, but she really wished that she did.

There was one thing she could do, though. True, she couldn't change the past, or make the three of them reconcile under her own power. She was Maki's friend, though. Maki had even said it out loud, which were some of the most incredible words to ever come out of someone's mouth. As her friend, she could be there for her and show her that there were people in this world that she could be comfortable and honest around. She really did hope that she was that kind of person for her.

This would also tie in well with letting Maki and Rin meet. Considering that Maki was a more introverted person, it did worry her somewhat that Rin would be too much for her. Then again, she was an introverted person, and Rin had been her best friend for years. She'd never been at a point where her spazzy, outgoing nature had become too much. Maybe Maki would feel the same way... Maybe.

"Kayo-chin, you shouldn't worry so much." Rin had noticed that she was nervous. Probably because she was sitting on the couch and fidgeting up a storm. She'd tried to distract herself with picking out an outfit, but there was only so much time she could take up doing that. Now she was sitting on the couch in a thin beige sweater and a black skirt, visibly vibrating where she sat. "Do you think I'm gonna scare her off of something?"

"No! No, it's not that..." Well, it was kind of that. It sounded rude, though, so she didn't want to say it out loud. "She's just... not a very social person, and I don't want her to be overwhelmed." It probably still sounded rude, making her whimper and shut her eyes.

"I kinda figured that out from what you've been telling me." Rin sat down next to Hanayo and patted her on the shoulder. "I'm gonna do my best to be a good host, Kayo-chin. We're not in high school anymore: I know where people's personal boundaries are." When they were younger, Rin had a habit of hugging people and just generally being in their personal space. She didn't even seem to realize she was doing it, but enough time had passed to where she'd been able to reflect on it.

"I know, Rin." She smiled and gave her a hug, resting her head for a moment on Rin's shoulder. "I'm just really nervous. It feels like I'm actually living in a dream, but I'm going to ruin it at any second." No matter how much closer the two of them got, she kept worrying that she was going to say or do something stupid, and Maki would walk away forever. She knew that was what made self-fulfilling prophecies happen, but she couldn't stop her mind from doing its thing.

"You shouldn't think like that!" Rin nearly shouted that out with her firmly-held beliefs, but she remembered to dial it back down right afterwards. "I know it's tough for you to focus on the positives sometimes, but you're a great person! I think Maki knows that too, since she considers you a friend. If she's as closed off as she appears, then that can only be a good thing."

"She's not closed off, exactly-" While trying to argue semantics, there was a knock at the door. She immediately jumped to her feet, but then hesitated to go open the door. This would be the first time that Maki was in her dorm, and though she'd spent hours cleaning it, she didn't feel that it was good enough. It took several pushes from Rin to actually get her to open the door, where Maki was standing outside. "H-Hey Maki!"

"Good afternoon." She stepped back to let Maki in, allowing her to take off her shoes. "Thanks for inviting me over." The door closed behind her, and Hanayo scurried over to lock it. With that out of the way, she was able to freely look Maki up and down with wide, captivated eyes. She was in the process of taking off her hat, letting her hair flow free with its natural beauty. Wearing just a black t-shirt with a red star on it and a pair of blue jeans, this was her most casual outfit Hanayo had ever seen her in. It looked so good on her...

"N-No problem..." She could already feel her nervous struggles coming on, so she was ever-thankful that Rin decided to hop up from the couch and come over to greet their guest.

"Heya, Maki! I'm Rin Hoshizora, Kayo-chin's friend. Nice to meet ya!" She stuck out her hand, which Maki stared at for a second before accepting the handshake. 

"Kayo-chin?" She looked at Hanayo, trying to understand what Rin meant by that.

"That's my nickname for Hanayo. I've been calling her that since we first became friends." Maki nodded, not understanding the nickname but accepting that was just how things were. "Need anything to drink? We've got some stuff in the fridge."

"I'm okay, but thank you." She looked between Hanayo and Rin, frowning slightly. "So, uh, what are we supposed to do?" It had been years since she went to someone's place as a friendly guest, so she wasn't really sure how to proceed now that they'd finished introductions. That wasn't Hanayo's area of expertise either. The activities she'd do with Rin might not appeal to Maki, so they were both just standing there unsure of what to do. It was up to Rin to get the ball rolling.

"Why don't we go bowling?" Both Hanayo and Maki turned to look at her. "Bowling's always a fun way to break the ice! Plus, it's only five hundred yen a game when you're a student. So whattaya say?" She could see that Hanayo was at least okay with the idea, but Maki seemed really awkward all of a sudden. "Do you not like bowling, Maki?"

"No, it's not that... It's just that I've never actually bowled before."

"What, really?!" Rin was shocked. She hadn't met anybody who had never bowled before. It was like a human institution. "Not even Wii Sports bowling?" Maki shook her head again. "Wow... Well, we gotta change that! Hanayo and I can teach you everything we know!" She smiled brightly, giving Maki a thumbs up. "Bet it'll be nice to have two cute girls showing you the ropes, hmm?"

"I-I don't think it matters who's teaching me." Maki started to turn red, lifting a hand up to twirl her hair around her finger. This had become a normal occurrence for Hanayo to see, but it was brand new for Rin. She barely contained her laughter, thinking about how perfect these two were for each other. If only Hanayo could gain the confidence she deserved to have and Maki was able to move on from whatever had been going on in her life. Hanayo hadn't been specific about it, since it was a personal thing, but it was obvious that it was hindering her social abilities somewhat.

"Well then, shall we go?" Once that was decided, she and Hanayo had to go grab socks and get their wallets and keys. Luckily for Maki, she was already wearing socks, since she had on a pair of sneakers. With everything soon accounted for, the three of them left the dorm and headed down to the parking lot. Since there wasn't enough room in Maki's car for all three of them, they took Rin's car instead. That was unfortunate for Rin, who had really wanted to ride in the cool sports car that Hanayo had been talking about. Hopefully she'd get that chance another time.

The bowling alley had quite a few people there, but there were still several lanes open. They got in line and paid for their shoes and two games, since that seemed like the perfect amount for a novice like Maki. If she ended up getting into it, then they could stay longer.

They were able to sit together on one bench, with Hanayo sitting closer to Rin so that Maki could have her space. She was currently holding her shoelaces without tying them, watching Maki lace up her own shoes with an awestruck look. Even when they were just putting on their bowling shoes, she couldn't help but be fascinated by Maki. She was just such an amazing person, and she'd always known that to be true. Getting to know her just reinforced it. No, more than that: it made her realize that 'amazing' didn't even do it justice. She was like a goddess in this bowling alley.

"Kayo-chin." She heard Rin's voice whispering near her ear. Turning to look at her, Rin looked over at Maki, then back at her. "You're staring." Her voice was so quiet that it was barely picked up by her ears: the only way to make sure that Maki didn't hear them talking about her. It may have been quiet, but Hanayo got the meaning loud and clear. Blushing profusely, she turned away and stared down at her feet, which made her realize that she still hadn't tied her shoes.

While she was lacing up, Rin went over to the screen to put in their names. Maki was set up to go first, and she saw a flicker of uncertainty go across her face. She frowned, wondering if it was really a good idea to make her come and do something she'd never done before. Then she saw Rin looking at her, giving her some sort of a silent but knowing look. She clearly wanted her to do something, but what? Could it be... that she wanted her to teach Maki how to bowl?

Her first thought was that it wasn't a good idea. She wasn't a master bowler by any means. Only once in her times at the alley had she ever broken a score of ninety. It was Rin who was the bowler between the two. Not that she was a professional, but she was certainly better than Hanayo. Maybe that wasn't the point, though. It was her who had the crush on Maki, not Rin. In that case... this could be a perfect opportunity to get closer to Maki and look good while doing it. As long as she didn't fall flat on her face...

"Do you want me to show you how to bowl?" She spoke quietly, as if it was blasphemous for her to even consider offering help to someone as perfect as Maki. Just in case her help wasn't wanted, she remained seated, her eyes glued - as usual - to Maki. Her question got a stiff nod in reply, which brought her up onto her feet. "Since it's your first time, maybe we should put the bumpers up." It'd also help her with her not-great bowling, honestly.

"I don't need bumpers." She huffed and crossed her arms, offended that such an option would even be suggested. Sure, she'd never bowled in her life, but that didn't mean she was going to take the easy way out. "I've got this." Ignoring the fact that she had agreed to accept help, she went over to pick one of the bowling balls that Hanayo and Rin had brought over. The first one she picked up was a ball with the number fifteen on it, which she had difficult hefting up. "This... one doesn't feel right." She put it back down, looking for the lowest number she could find. There was one with a ten that was much easier for her to carry, so she chose that one. "This is the one I wanted." Uh huh...

She took the ball over and stood in their lane, staring down at the three finger holes. It wasn't that she knew nothing about bowling: obviously she'd heard about it, and she'd seen the occasional bowler in random shows or movies. She'd just never personally played the sport. It wasn't difficult to know where to put her fingers, but how to properly throw the ball was a challenge. She was smart, though: she could do this. With determination, she walked up to the black line, reared her arm back, and hurled the ball down the lane. The ball rolled slowly across the wood for about a second, only to land right in the gutter and slide pitifully down to the back.

Hanayo gulped, seeing Maki stiffen up from where she was sitting. On her left, Rin had a hand over her mouth in an attempt to not let Maki hear her laughing. Admittedly, it was kinda funny, but she felt bad for Maki. It was obvious that she had wanted to do that without help, but she needed it. There was that whole 'pride' thing, something that she never personally had to worry about. She didn't have anything to feel prideful about.

Turning around, Maki walked back to the bench without looking at either of them. She sat down next to Hanayo as her ball came back onto the rack, slumping forward in a sign of defeat. "I guess you can put the bumpers up..." Hanayo gently patted her shoulder while Rin giggled and went up to go ask an employee to get the bumpers up. "Can you help me?" She looked over at Hanayo, who felt her heart nearly stop at the surprising amount of vulnerability on Maki's face.

"O-Of course!" Maki stood up again and headed for the ball rack, turning around to see if Hanayo was coming with her. She got up and scurried over, standing next to Maki and pointing at the ten pound ball. "The ball you picked should be fine, so go ahead and pick it up again." Maki did as suggested, picking up the ball and putting her fingers in the holes. "Now let's go to the line.

"You'll want to put some power behind your throw with a ball of that size." She could only give advice that she'd remembered hearing from Rin, but it was better than making stuff up. "But that'll just make it head into the gutter faster if you don't aim it at the pins. Those little arrows on the lane..." She pointed out the little blue-black arrows that were a short distance away. "Try aiming at the second one from the right. Get a moving start and throw the ball as hard as you can. Oh, but... don't hurt your arm."

"I'll keep that in mind." The two of them moved out of the way when the alley employee came over to pull up the bumpers. She noticed that Maki was smiling at her, which made her look away in embarrassment. Would she ever get used to seeing Maki smile at her? Probably not, but it still made her heart flutter. Once the bumpers came up, she was able to look back up, where she saw Maki staring down at the ball. "Guess I'll go now."

"Good luck." Hanayo smiled softly at her, while Rin shot her a thumbs up. Maki turned to face the lane properly, though her body became stiff as soon as Hanayo had backed away. She still didn't look prepared to bowl the ball, but she took a walking start towards the black line and let the ball roll. Somehow, magically, the ball was able to stay where she aimed it without hitting either of the bumpers. It curved a bit towards the end, but was still able to knock over five pins.

"Way to go!" Rin clapped and cheered, drawing several pairs of eyes their way. Maki pulled down on the brim of her hat, clearly embarrassed by the sudden attention. The slight smile on her face let it be known that she didn't mind it too much, though. Hanayo couldn't help but smile too, happy that her advice hadn't been completely useless. 

It wasn't perfect advice, though. That was evident by the fact that neither her nor Maki ended up with great scores. Maki's score in particular was pretty trash, but she'd never bowled before, so it was at least understandable. Hanayo was actually able to break the ninety barrier, if only by a couple points. As for Rin, she lapped the field, using the bumpers to her advantage by passing the two hundred point mark. She claimed that it wasn't fair because the bumpers had helped her, but that wasn't going to do much for Maki's bruised ego. Even in her first match, she wanted to win. 

The second match went a little bit better, but not by much. Hanayo decided to just say that it had been a good game, because she didn't want to see Maki frustrated. She told her that she'd done a good job, and that she was pretty good at bowling for it being her first time. The smile on her face made it all worth it, and those butterflies in her stomach were fluttering around like mad. She was going to have to thank Rin later for suggesting this.

After their two games, they decided to play a couple games of air hockey in the arcade section. Rin took on Maki while Hanayo stood back and watched. It seemed that Maki had a better grasp of this game than bowling, since Rin wasn't able to run away with a victory. Towards the end, with Rin holding a 5-3 lead, things got pretty heated. They were slapping the puck around pretty hard, to the point where Maki accidentally sent it flying off the table and to the other side of the section. It nearly hit someone playing a racing game, but hey... 'nearly'. No one was injured this time.

The three of them headed home after that in high spirits. Even Maki seemed to be having a good time, throwing playful banter back and forth with Rin from the backseat. Hanayo was even happier seeing all this unfold, as it truly did seem as if Maki was getting along well with Rin. Any of her previous worries had clearly been unfounded. Now she and Maki both had two friends. They may have been Rin and each other, but... yay!

When they got back to the parking lot, Maki decided to head back to her dorm. She wanted to get through some of her coursework before the day ended, which made sense. Like normal friends, she and Hanayo stood in front of each other awkwardly, just trying to get out a simple goodbye. It killed Rin, really. They still needed her help, and she was glad to do so. Gently nudging Hanayo from the back, she whispered a suggestion in her ear: "Hug her goodbye, Kayo-chin!"

"What?! Isn't that too sudden?!" The mere suggestion of giving Maki a hug sent her heart into hysterics. That wasn't something you just sprang on a new friend! Well, unless you were Rin. She had given Hanayo a tight hug on the day they met, so that was just something she'd find normal. For Hanayo, it was a line of personal space she wasn't about to cross. Rin, however, wasn't going to let that go.

"You've been talking to her for weeks now. C'mon, live a little!" Maki had turned to look at them, confused about what they were whispering about. Before she could ask any questions, Rin had pushed Hanayo forward, making her bump into Maki. 

"S-Sorry!" Hanayo gasped and jumped back, only to be pushed forward again by Rin. While they didn't bump into each other again, they were still standing very close to one another. Maki hadn't seemed to realize what was going on, but Hanayo was all-too aware. Her face was burning up, and Maki now seemed to notice it. 

"Are you okay?" 

"Y-Yup! Just, uh..." She gulped, still unable to just go in for a hug like Rin would. It wasn't in her nature. These were the kind of things where you needed to ask permission. "Can I, uh... C-Can I hug you?" Maki's eyes widened, but there was still confusion on her face. She didn't seem to believe that Hanayo asked her that.

"You want to hug me?" She spoke it blankly, still clearly confused. 

"Y-Yes... if that's okay! I know it's really sudden, but we're friends, and maybe hugging would be okay when we say goodbye?" Oh no, she was rambling again. She could hear herself doing it, but she couldn't snap her mouth shut. Horrified, she couldn't even get her arms to move up so she could muffle herself with her hands. She didn't know if Rin was behind her laughing or groaning in secondhand embarrassment. Maybe both.

"Calm down, Hanayo." Maki was finally able to break through Hanayo's sudden hysteria, rubbing her arm awkwardly. "I'm... okay with a hug. You don't have to ask me if you can hug me, you know." She started to lift her hand up, but realized what she was doing and jerked it back down. A blush hit her cheeks, her arms stretching out in front of her. "Are you going to hug me or what?" 

"Y-Yes!" Stepping forward, Hanayo went into Maki's embrace. She put her arms out and wrapped them around Maki, the two of them engaging in the most awkward-looking hug known to man. This time, Rin couldn't hold back: she laughed out loud, which made Maki blush and stick her tongue out at Rin. It may have been a stiff hug, but it was meaningful to the girls involved in it. When they pulled back, they were both blushing and smiling, a little warmer inside than they had been before.

"So, I'll... see you for lunch tomorrow?" Maki murmured shyly, a question that Hanayo answered with a nod. Smiling, they said their final goodbyes, and then Maki was heading off for her car. Hanayo watched her go, feeling nervous and giddy and just... just so unlike how she usually felt. It wasn't the way she felt whenever she watched a BiBi concert, or dreamed about her and Maki holding hands. This was real, and it made it feel like something more than what she'd felt before. It was like... like they had a real connection, and it was hard to ignore its existence. Even if her self-doubt made it hard to truly believe in it.

"Are you going to stand in the parking lot for the evening, or should we go back to our dorm?" Rin's voice was teasing, but in a friendly way. She could see the connection between them as well, and she was ready to stoke those flames as much as she could without being too overbearing. With a blush, Hanayo nodded and the two of them went back to the dorm. There was a spring in her step that hadn't been there before. She was actually feeling really good about that day, as well as herself. Things were looking up for her and this whole friendship thing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maki gets an important call, and now she's at a crossroads with what she needs to do. In this situation, she realizes that she trusts Hanayo to help her figure it out.

Sitting at the dining table in her dorm, Maki was doing something that she'd been doing a lot lately: thinking about Hanayo. The two had grown to be pretty close friends over the last several weeks. That was probably a regular occurrence for most people, but she'd never been good at making them. It had always seemed too hard to do, or it was assured that any friends she'd make would just want her fame or money.

Hanayo was different, though. She understood that Hanayo knew her already because she was a massive BiBi fan. Usually that would make her instantly wary, and it had the first time they'd bumped into each other. After their first conversation, though, she'd thought about it. As awkward as it may have been, she could tell that this wasn't one of her normal fans. She wasn't begging for autographs or photos, and she'd seemed to realize on her own that she was overstepping boundaries. It made her realize that there was something different with her, but she hadn't expected them to meet each other again.

Seeing Hanayo in the food court hadn't been planned, and she probably would've sat by herself had she been able to. There weren't any free tables, though, and it was better to sit by someone she talked to once than anyone else she didn't know. She was glad she had asked to sit with her, because now she was feeling legitimately happy being able to hang out with Hanayo. Since getting to know her, she could tell that she was more than just a fangirl. She was a good person, and a wonderful friend to have. Plus, now she had a second friend thanks to her. That all had seemed unbelievable coming into this school year, but she was happy that it was happening. She really was happy... It felt good to feel those kind of things again.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone ringing. She thought it was going to be Hanayo, but a number that wasn't in her contacts greeted her instead. That made her frown, since it had to be someone that she knew. It had been imperative that she never give out her phone number, because otherwise she'd be inundated with calls and texts from businesses and overzealous fans. Only a small number of people had her number, and the fact that this one wasn't in her contacts concerned her.

"Hello?" She had waited three rings, not wanting to answer. Her curiosity had overtaken her, though. 

"Hey Maki, it's Nozomi." _'Oh.'_ Just hearing that name made Maki's stomach drop. The last time she had talked to Nozomi was on the day she had quit the band, and that had been months ago. Hearing her voice on the other line only made her feel an influx of dread. "I know you don't want to talk to me right now, but I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm fine," was her curt response. From the shaky exhale she heard on the other line, she had a feeling it didn't placate Nozomi. "What do you want, Nozomi? I'm serious: no more games." She'd been around Nozomi enough - because Eli insisted on bringing her everywhere - that she knew she liked to be a tease. There always seemed to be some ulterior motive in what she was saying, whether it was to get something out of Eli or locking Maki and Nico in a closet together. After having her good thoughts ruined by this reminder, she wasn't in the mood for any of that.

"I want you, Elicchi, and Nicocchi to get back together. If not as a band, then at least as friends." Only a second of silence passed, with Nozomi knowing that giving Maki enough time to speak would end up in flat-out rejection. "I feel like it's my fault that the band broke up, and I want to try and make it right. It hasn't been the same without all of us being together. I miss you, Maki, and Elicchi does too. She feels bad that she didn't stick up for you more in the band."

"Well, it's a bit late for that, huh?" She hadn't expected to hear that, but it didn't change how she felt. The three of them had frustrated her beyond belief. More than that, they had hurt her, and her feelings hadn't recovered yet. She had never admitted that, and she wasn't about to do so to Nozomi. "Besides, that's just you two. Does Nico feel bad about what she said?" There was silence on the other end. It lasted for just three seconds, but it was enough.

"She does."

"I don't believe that for a second. Don't lie to me."

"She... does, really. She hasn't exactly said it in so many words, but I know that she does-"

"Nozomi, stop. If Nico isn't going to apologize to me, then I don't want to see any of you. That's the bottom line. Please don't call me again." Before Nozomi could say anything further, she hung up and put her phone face-down on the table. With a deep sigh, she laid her head down next to it. Her food now laid next to her head, forgotten and unwanted. There was an ill feeling permeating her stomach, and she didn't feel hungry anymore.

She hadn't really gotten over what had happened when the band broke up. As much as she tried to pretend that it didn't affect her, it haunted many of her thoughts. That was one of the reasons she was happy to have Hanayo in her life. Though she was an unabashed fangirl of the very band that made her feel this way, she also served as a welcome distraction. Since she'd told her the story about what had caused them to break up, Hanayo had been even more careful to not mention the band in front of her. It was appreciated, as was being able to focus on her rather than what had happened in the past.

She wasn't there with her now, though. All she had was that call and Nozomi's voice in her head. Did she and Eli really miss her, or were they just tricking her into getting the band back together for that sweet reunion tour money? Honestly, she wasn't sure she wanted to do that even if they were telling the truth. Being able to go to university like a normal girl was a breath of fresh air. While most people would certainly hate all the classwork and early morning alarms, she was enjoying just getting to be like everyone else. There were days that she felt like she didn't even need to worry about anyone discovering who she really was.

But... she missed them too. The band had ended in destructive fashion, but Eli and Nico were two of the closest friends she'd ever had. Even Nozomi had wormed her way into her heart with her teasing, motherly ways. She had never thought that things would end up the way they did, and she regretted that they had. To be honest... she knew that some of this was her fault, too. As much as she tried to pretend otherwise, she hadn't helped matters that day in the studio. She could've stayed instead of running. She could've stayed instead of quitting. But she hadn't, and she didn't. Now part of her was too mad at them to ever see them again, and another part was too ashamed to.

She felt her phone vibrating against the table, but she ignored it. All she wanted to do right now was mope.  


* * *

"Is everything alright, Maki?" Hanayo looked across the table in concern. Maki had been poking at her food with her fork, having barely eaten anything since she'd sat down. Over time, their lunch conversations had grown more... well, talkative. That wasn't the case today, though. Maki had barely said anything, and Hanayo was already three-quarters of the way through her meal. She couldn't say nothing before lunch was over.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." That wasn't very convincing. Maki didn't even look at her when she said that. It made her feel extremely apprehensive, like something bad was going to happen. Or perhaps something had already happen. She didn't know, and it made her feel a little sad. Something was clearly bugging Maki, and she was hiding it. While she understood keeping one's feelings inside at times, she had hoped that she could be trusted enough by now to be talked to about such things.

"You don't seem fine..." She pouted, though it wasn't noticed by Maki. "Maki... If something's bothering you, you can talk to me. We're friends, right?" She tried to put on a helpful smile, but it just looked like she was about to cry. That would've been quite the scene. Maki looked up at her, frowning slightly. She sighed and shoved her fork into her food, adjusting her hat without any need to.

"We are..." She sighed again, picking up her fork, only to set it - and the food attached to it - back down. "Fine, but not here. I don't want anyone overhearing." That seemed reasonable. They agreed to meet at Hanayo's dorm, which settled that particular matter. What it didn't do is make lunch any less quiet, as Maki didn't really perk up after that. She did eventually eat, but not much. When she needed to get to class, she just gave the rest of her food to Hanayo. As much as she wanted Maki to eat it, she wasn't going to say no to free food. Still, she was worried...

While still on campus, she made sure to text Rin and let her know that she was going to have a serious, private conversation with Maki, and they needed the dorm. Rin was fine with that, saying that she would go to the gym until they were done. She made sure to put a couple winky faces at the end of her text for good measure, which made Hanayo nearly smash her phone in trying to refute that anything untoward was going to be happening in their dorm. 

It wasn't until later that evening that they were able to meet up. Similar to all their other meetups, Hanayo was nervous while waiting for Maki to show up. Without Rin there to calm her down, she was nothing short of a worried wreck. She would pace the entire length of their dorm, then make herself a sandwich to distract herself. Eating was something she did when she was nervous, which might explain why she ate quite often.

Eventually there was a knock on the door, which didn't alleviate her worries any. After a quick look through the peephole, she opened the door and let Maki in. She felt like she was prepared to hear whatever Maki was going to say, but at the same time she doubted herself. Maybe it was because she didn't think that she could help, but she could at least listen. Being a good listener could be a lost art at times. She just hoped that everything was okay, and that whatever was bothering Maki wasn't too serious.

"I got a call from Nozomi." They were sitting on the couch together. Maki had taken her hat off and placed it on the coffee table, her glasses hanging off the neck of her shirt. It seemed that this time, there wasn't going to be any delays or beating around the bush: she was just going to say what exactly was going on. That was a pleasant surprise. "She said that she and Eli missed me, and that they wanted to meet up again..." She sighed deeply, running her hands through her hair in frustration.

"I don't feel like I can trust them, though. How am I supposed to believe that Eli feels that way if she wouldn't stand up for me back when we were in the band? Besides, what's the point in having some little meet-up when we're not all going to be there? I know Nico isn't sorry for how she treated me. Nozomi couldn't even tell me she was without pausing constantly. I can tell that she doesn't give a rat's ass, so why should I? I definitely don't want to see her ever again!" She folded her arms crossly, but Hanayo could see the sadness in her eyes, betraying her decisiveness.

"Do you miss them too?" Hanayo had a feeling that was the case without having to ask. The way that Maki's face fell upon being asked that only emboldened those beliefs.

"I... guess I do..." Groaning, she laid back against the couch and stared up at the ceiling. "I never had that many friends before, or ones that were so close. It was almost like a family, but..." She sat back up and looked into Hanayo's eyes, the hurt and something else she couldn't pinpoint swimming in her gaze. "I'm mad at them, but I'm embarrassed too... I didn't take what happened well and I just quit. It was my fault BiBi broke up, Hanayo. If I had just not let Nico get to me, we would've still been together making music." She hung her head, breaking their eye contact. "How am I supposed to see them again knowing that it's my fault too? I can't admit that to them..."

"Do you feel like you've gotten closure with them?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've only really seen it in movies or read it in books, but..." She wrung her hands together, smiling shyly. "Sometimes, someone has trouble moving on because they haven't had closure with the people they're thinking about. So maybe you should go talk to them, even if Nico's not there. You don't have to accept their apologies, or see them again, but maybe it'd make you feel better if you got everything out that you've been feeling since the band broke up."

"Huh..." Maki mulled that over, having not thought about the need for closure before. "I... suppose it'd be worth a shot. Ugh, it's going to be so embarrassing having to apologize..." She grabbed her hat and hid her face inside it, making Hanayo giggle. Maki could act a bit immature sometimes, though she usually hid it well behind her wall of confidence. Not that she'd ever say that to her face. It was cute, though, and she couldn't help but feel her crush grow a bit more with each day they spent around each other. She still didn't feel like she could admit to it, though. The last thing she wanted was to do something to fracture the friendship they'd cultivated.

"I could go with you if that would help." She wondered if that was overstepping any boundaries, but she would truly be willing to do that for Maki. If her presence could help at all with keeping her calm in a really tense situation, then that could only be a positive thing. Plus, it'd give her self-esteem a slight boost knowing that Maki trusted her in that way. Of course, that was only if her offer was accepted.

"You would do that?" Hanayo nodded, which made Maki smile slightly. "Well, it'd be nice if you were there." Those words hung in the air for a second before Maki realized what she'd said. Naturally, she began to blush, and she predictably stumbled over the rest of her words. "I-I mean, if you want to, anyway. You don't have to if you don't want to. It's not your problem." Unsurprisingly, she was already twirling her hair around her finger, and Hanayo couldn't keep herself from laughing. "Wh-What? Why are you laughing?"

"It's cute." Now it was her turn to blush when she realized what she had said. "Of course you're cute. I mean, hot. You're... Wait, no, I didn't mean to say that! No, wait, you _are_ hot, but I didn't mean to say it out loud. You're, uh..." For a moment, she wondered how quick it would be to suffocate herself with a couch cushion, but then she started to laugh again. She surprised herself, but hearing herself blurt out things she hadn't meant to say was suddenly really funny. "It's just nice to know that I'm not the only one who says things I didn't mean to in social situations."

"I feel like I'm being insulted." Maki didn't look insulted, though. In fact, she was genuinely smiling. She'd seen it before, but it was still a relatively rare sight that she appreciated when she was gifted with it. "I see what you mean, though. We both aren't great at this whole social thing. Maybe both of us being there will cancel our struggles out... or make it worse." They both laughed again, able to find humor in their weakness. "Did you mean it, though? That you'd come with me to see Eli and Nozomi."

"Of course!" She spoke with as much conviction as she could muster. That was enough for Maki to agree to the offer.

"Then I accept. But don't tell anyone if I get emotional."

"I-I won't!" It wasn't until later, after Maki had already left to try and call Nozomi again, that she realized what she had agreed to. Now she was going to be meeting Eli Ayase, the guitarist for BiBi. She was getting to meet another member of her favorite band. That wasn't why she had agreed to help, but... she was going to have to contain herself. She was supposed to be on Maki's side, after all.

"Gods, give me strength..."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanayo and Maki head over to Eli and Nozomi's house in an attempt to repair bridges. Can they keep the entire structure from crumbling back down?

Maki had sent her a text later that night letting her know that she'd gotten back with Nozomi. They had come to an agreement that they'd meet up a week from Sunday for lunch. So that there wouldn't be any curious eyes on them while having such serious discussions, they agreed to eat at Eli and Nozomi's house. Things had become more settled once they'd set all that up, but there was a noticeable tenseness around Maki when the day came closer.

She couldn't blame her. She was feeling nervous too, and she wasn't the one seeking any closure. Truthfully, her own nervousness was different, and it was two-fold. The strongest part of it was because she was worried for Maki's sake. She didn't know what was going to happen, as all she knew about Eli was from their interviews and the little that Maki had said. With Nozomi, it was even less. She could only hope that whatever happened wouldn't crush Maki. She never wanted to see her friends sad.

The secondary part of her nervousness was going to meet Eli. While Maki was her high school - and still current - crush, she still had room to be starstruck by the other members of the band. She'd always found Eli to be super cool, but in a different way from Maki's cool. While Maki had always appeared aloof in her interviews and never said much, Eli was the one reporters could go to for the day's quote. She always seemed to have something proper to say for any situation, and she had an air of awesomeness around her while doing it. Plus, the way she played guitar was incredible. They didn't really play heavy music or anything, but she'd seen videos of her absolutely shredding on the guitar for fun, and she'd had her mind blown.

She wasn't going with Maki to gush over Eli, though. She was there to support Maki in her time of need. As much as she might've looked up to Eli's ultimate coolness, she didn't want Maki to think that she was switching sides or anything. There shouldn't be sides, though, and maybe there wouldn't be at all. However, if it turned out that way, she wanted it to be known that she was standing firmly in Maki's corner. She'd set up camp in that corner, honestly...

The car ride to Eli and Nozomi's house was pretty quiet. Whenever she looked over at Maki, she could see that she was lost in thought. She may have been thinking about what she was going to say when they got there, like she was preparing for a test. If it helped focus her mind, then it wasn't a bad thing. She wanted to speak up and say something, anything, that would help put her at ease, but she didn't know what. So she just stayed quiet and felt guilty about it the whole ride there.

They parked on the curb next to the house, which was a nice two story abode in the middle of a relatively well-off neighborhood. Despite that, Hanayo was surprised that they didn't live somewhere fancier. She'd had this idea in her mind that with their wealth, they'd buy some sort of mansion or something. While this certainly wasn't some dingy shack, it was far from her expectations. It was peaceful: it was normal. She almost expected this to be their second home that they used for getaways.

They exited the car and went up the walkway to the front door. Next to the door was a little tanuki statue, and she could see wind chimes hanging directly over her head as she stepped on the porch. She found it easier to get immersed in what was around her as Maki rang the doorbell, because it helped her not feel so nervous. Taking away the fact that this was Eli's house, she wasn't used to going over to other people's homes in general. Besides Rin's, she really didn't go anywhere. She knew how to act like a normal person inside someone else's house, but she couldn't shake a sudden bout of anxiety, like she would walk in and immediately drop-kick the nearest lamp.

The door opened, and she was glad she hadn't been planning on saying anything. Her ability to speak was compromised when Eli was revealed, leaving her frustratingly unable to keep her inner fangirl from rising to the surface. To have two-thirds of BiBi standing in front of her was a moment that she never thought would happen. Being at a concert, with a sea of fans and a large stage in between her and them, was the closest she ever expected to get. If she reached out, she could touch Maki and nearly touch Eli at the same time. Oh gods, this was incredible...

"Maki!" Eli stepped forward, but stopped before she had gotten into Maki's personal bubble. She let her arms, which had raised slightly as if she wanted to give her a hug, fall back down. "Thanks for coming." She then realized that Hanayo was there, which made her freeze in place. "You're Hanayo, right?" She nodded stiffly, unable to believe that Eli was actually addressing her by name. Nobody would ever believe she was living this life. "I'm Eli Ayase. It's nice to meet you."

"N-Nice to meet you too." Maki stepped out of the way so Eli could offer her hand to shake, which only by sheer force of will did Hanayo reciprocate. It was almost impossible for her to get her arms moving, and she was darn lucky that they did at all. She could only imagine the embarrassment if she had stood there stock-still while Eli held her hand out for a handshake that would never come. How mortifying.

"Please, come in." She stepped into the house, and they followed her in. While she went to close and lock the door, Hanayo stayed close to Maki. This was unfamiliar territory for her, and it made her feel better to be next to the one thing that she was familiar with. It also hopefully worked both ways, as she wanted her presence would be comforting for Maki as well. "Why don't we go to the kitchen? Nozomi should be nearly finished with lunch."

"Hey Maki! Hi Hanayo!" They heard someone shouting from the kitchen: obviously Nozomi. This was the person Hanayo was least familiar with. She wasn't a part of the band, but she knew that she was Eli's girlfriend. She had also seen her in several of their music videos, so she wasn't completely ignorant as to who she was. However, she wasn't in any emails, and most of the chatter about her online was decisively negative. Many people blamed her for the band breaking up: their generation's Yoko Ono. She knew that most of them were just mad that they didn't have a chance at dating Eli, but she figured it would be best not to bring that up at the kitchen table.

As they walked into the kitchen, she could tell that Maki was nervous. She was clearly tense, and it seemed to get worse with every step they took. It wasn't a clear plan, but she reached down and grabbed hold of her hand. That startled Maki, who looked at her in surprise. She was blushing, but she held onto Maki's hand tightly, trying to physically show that she was there for her in her time of need. It embarrassed Maki too, but she didn't break their contact. There weren't any words passed between them, but from the look on her face, she seemed relieved to have that anchor. Hanayo smiled, feeling elated that she was able to do this, and that it wasn't being rejected.

As soon as they entered the kitchen, Maki let go of Hanayo's hand. They both froze in place, seeing a surprising extra person there at the same time. At the stove was Nozomi, wearing a pun-adorned apron and a sheepish smile on her. That part was normal, but the sheepish smile was because of the surprise that had the two newcomers with their jaws on the floor. Sitting at the kitchen table, with a bored look on her face, was Nico.

"N-Nico?!" Maki finally blurted out, her eyes wide. When Nozomi had invited them over for lunch, she hadn't said anything about Nico joining them. She had been positive that Nico _wouldn't_ be there, since she had been able to tell from her first call with Nozomi that there was no reconciliation forthcoming. If that was the case, then what the hell was she doing there? 

"The one and only." She spread her arms with a flourish, as if she was revealing her presence on stage. Maki wasn't the only one shocked by this turn of events, though. Hanayo wasn't even sure she was breathing anymore. She probably was, since she hadn't passed out yet, but maybe she hadn't noticed. Maybe this was just a dream that she'd never dared to dream. She was standing in a kitchen with all three members of BiBi. Her favorite band had its members just standing around in a normal, everyday setting. If she wasn't unconscious yet, she would be in a few seconds.

"What are you doing here?" Maki eyed Nico suspiciously, crossing her arms. This had to be some kind of trick. Had Nico found out about the closure she was looking for and had popped in to try and wrestle a free apology out of her? Well if that's what she was doing, then she was wasting her time. There was no way she was apologizing to her!

"Nozomi invited me. Do I have to make sure I have your permission to come over to someone else's house?" Growling, Maki clenched her hand into a fist. They may have not seen each other for months, but it looked like they were going to get right back into their regular arguing. Looking between them in worry, Hanayo made her choice. She grabbed Maki's fist and held it tightly, getting her temporary attention. "Hey, who's that? You actually dating someone? No way." Well, so much for that.

"W-We are not dating! Don't make assumptions!" Maki was on the defensive now, and everybody in the room knew it. Nico leaned forward, preparing for another series of assaults, but Nozomi came over to intervene.

"Ni-co-chii..." She placed her hands on Nico's shoulders, making the words she was about to say die in her throat. "What did I tell you about antagonizing Maki?" Nico looked over her shoulder, seeing Nozomi's easygoing smile. There was something more sinister underneath the surface, though. It made her gulp, slowly turning back around and staring down at the table.

"Not to do it?" Nozomi nodded, which made Nico sag under her grip. "But- Eek!" The hands that had been on her shoulders had suddenly dropped to her chest and were squeezing her modest - which was a very generous term - bust. "Alright, alright, I'll stop! Release me, you monster!" With a giggle, Nozomi's hands retracted, and Nico folded her arms over her chest to avoid any more incursions. "Control your woman, Eli!"

"She's right, Nico. We're trying to all be civil here, so as long as you're in our house, you will be too." Nico just stared at her, then stood up. "Nico? Where are you going?"

"I'm going outside, where I can continue being uncivil. We can talk through your nearest window." She only got a couple steps before Nozomi had a hold of her again, dragging her back to her seat. "Alright, alright. Ridiculous..." She huffed and sat down against her will. "What are we even doing here? We're not a band anymore, so what's the point of this?"

"We need to talk about what happened. It's not good to continue letting this fester for the rest of our lives." Nozomi stood on the left side of the table, opposite Eli and between Nico and Maki. Hanayo stood behind Maki, suddenly feeling like an intruder upon a private conversation. She wanted to ask if she should leave, but she didn't want to speak up and break the flow. Plus, she had said she would be there for Maki. What good would it be if she left? "Because I miss you all, and I don't want there to continue being a wedge between all of us."

"We wanted to apologize. Both Nozomi and I." Eli spoke next, looking between Maki and Nico. "We were being selfish in how much time we spent together. I shouldn't have been late to so many practices, or left early because I wanted to spend time with Nozomi. Not that I regret it, exactly..." Nozomi looked at her with a blank expression, and Eli coughed into her fist. "But I _am _sorry that it brought distraction to the band. I know it was a reason for the breakup, and I wish I had noticed what was going on before it was too late. I was just, uh..." She blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Kind of blinded by love..."

"No duh." Nico rolled her eyes, then looked over at Nozomi. "Look, we didn't hate that Nozomi was there. She's great, for an annoying grabby monster." Nozomi giggled at that. "You just needed to stop getting so damn distracted by her. There were too many takes ruined by you two flirting. Keep it in your pants for three minutes."

"You're right, and we're both sorry about that." Hanayo was in awe of how calm Eli was in this situation. If she was in her shoes, she would've probably broken down crying. 

"I... I want to apologize too." Maki took in a deep breath, grappling between her need to apologize and her utter embarrassment about it. Hanayo knew that she needed to make her presence known. Sidling up next to Maki, she took her hand in her own again and squeezed it gently, smiling reassuringly at her. Maki held eye contact with her, silence holding the room for a moment. Then Maki smiled and nodded, turning back to look between Eli and Nozomi.

"I know that it was my fault the band broke up... If I hadn't risen to Nico's bait like Eli had asked me to, we could've still been making music together. I was angry, and I acted rashly... I shouldn't have quit." She stopped talking for a moment, trying to get her bearings together. Hanayo could see the sadness on her face, and it looked like she was about to cry. She was doing her best to make sure it didn't happen, though. "I'm sorry that I acted like a brat and ruined everything..."

"Maki... It's okay." Nozomi came around the table and wrapped Maki up in a hug, catching her off guard. "We all did things that we shouldn't have, and we're all sorry for it." Eli then came over to join the group hug, which got Hanayo sandwiched in with it. She was holding onto Maki's hand while Eli's side was pressed against her stomach. This couldn't be Heaven, because there was no way Heaven was better than this.

"She's right. I shouldn't have been pointing you out specifically to just ignore what Nico was saying. I wasn't thinking about your feelings, and that wasn't right." Maki, who had stiffened up upon initial contact, now was trying so very hard not to let any tears fall. Hanayo noticed, and with a smile she wriggled herself into the hug and pressed her forehead to Maki's.

"It's okay to cry, Maki." She whispered, though it wasn't going to escape the ears of the young women embracing them. "They seem sincere, right?" Maki mumbled her assent, a couple of tears falling down her cheeks. "I'm gonna let you hug them, okay? I'll be right here for you when you're done." She let go of Maki's hand and stepped back, allowing Maki to fall into Eli's embrace. The two of them closed the gap that Hanayo had been filling, with Eli looking over at her gratefully. Her heart skipped a beat or two in that moment.

"I'm sorry..." Maki could only repeat her apologies, silently crying against Eli's shoulder. Eli held her close while Nozomi gently rubbed circles against her back, allowing her to let it out. Finally, when her tears had dried up, she pulled herself from the hug and wiped her eyes clean. The three of them shared warm, understanding smiles, and it actually looked like something good had happened there. Some kind of closure had been found between them, and Hanayo couldn't have been happier.

"So what, is this 'Trash Nico in Front of Her Day'?" There was one last thing, though... All eyes turned to Nico, which was what she wanted anyway. She huffed and crossed her arms, her eyes darting from one person to the next. "Aren't _I_ going to get an apology?" 

"Oh Nicocchi..." Nozomi sighed, but she wasn't the first one to try and talk some sense into Nico. To the surprise of everyone, especially the person actually doing the talking, Hanayo walked around the table and stood in front of Nico.

"Wh-Why are you being so rude, Nico? Everybody's trying to apologize for what happened and you're being really... r-really selfish! You hurt Maki by being so mean to her, a-and I think she deserves an apology for that!" Nico was just staring up at Hanayo, her mouth hanging open. She wasn't the only one: no one had expected that, least of all Maki. She was the one who knew Hanayo the best, and she couldn't believe that this was coming from the girl who was constantly tripping over her own sentences when they talked. "So, p-please apologize to her for being mean!"

"Uh... Y-Yes ma'am." Nico kept staring at her, then roboticly turned to look at Maki. Still in shock over what had happened, Maki didn't even notice something was happening until Nico had stood up and repeatedly coughed to get everyone's attention. "Alright, everybody better be paying attention, because I'm not going to repeat myself!" She took a deep breath, exhaling... then doing it again... then mumbling something about how she could do it, and that she was 'Nico Nico Nii'. Somehow, she was more anxious about apologizing than Maki had been.

"I'm sorry for anything I may have said that contributed to the band breaking up. Maki, I'm sorry for saying all that stuff to you. I just... you know, I get competitive when we argue, I guess. I wasn't trying to make you quit the band or anything. I just wanted to get the better of you, but I shouldn't have said some of that stuff. You weren't allowed in the band because of your wealth or anything. It's because of your skills. You really are a good piano player, and a good writer. I shouldn't have gone with the low blows." She looked away, embarrassed at having to admit that she'd been wrong. "Is that what you wanted?"

"Mm, I dunno... I was expecting you to be on your knees. Maybe doing a little jig for my amusement." Maki grinned at the flabbergasted look on Nico's face, then took on a more serious expression. "I'm sorry too, Nico. I said some things that I shouldn't have either. It wasn't fair to you. I was mad, and I didn't understand why you would be so mean to me specifically. Like you hated me because my family's rich."

"I didn't hate you! And I wasn't trying to be mean to you, I swear."

"Well, it felt like it." Maki crossed her arms, but she quickly relented before they started arguing again. "Look, we're both sorry, right? I accept your apology. Do you accept mine?" Nico nodded. "Then I think that's settled." Wow, that was... easier than expected, and all it had taken was Hanayo standing up for Maki. Which was something she still couldn't believe she had done. Her lips were still tingling from having been so... so forceful.

"Ooh, rice is done!" The rice cooker beeped, and everybody began to fall into place, as if they hadn't just had a major breakthrough after months of no communication. Nozomi headed over to the counter, with Eli taking a couple of steps towards her. She stopped, looking between Nozomi and Maki, then walked towards Maki to speak with her. Nico sat back down with a dramatic sigh, so Hanayo decided to follow her nose to the smell of rice. 

"The rice smells good." That was an understatement. Rice _always _smelled good. It was a staple food: the ambrosia of humanity. What could she say? She really liked rice.

"Thanks." Nozomi turned towards Hanayo with a smile. "So, you're Maki's friend, then? Glad to see she hasn't been alone at school all this time." Hanayo swelled with pride, like what she'd been doing had actually made a difference. "I know Nico was teasing, but..." She leaned in closer, and Hanayo leaned in as well. What was so important that nobody else could hear it? "Are you two seriously not going on?" Oh, _that_...

"N-No! Of course not!" She turned a lovely shade of red, backing up and raising her hands. "W-We're just friends!" Nozomi's stare was more powerful than it appeared. It felt like she was staring right through her, but she wasn't lying! They weren't dating! Even if that would be the most wonderful thing ever- Huh... She hadn't actually thought about them dating. Not since they became friends, at least. Sure, her crush had been growing steadily with each day they hung out, but she'd been so focused on making sure she was worthy of Maki's friendship. It hadn't really occurred to her that the two could actually date. 

"Hey, Eli and I started out as friends too. You can see where that ended up." She winked suggestively, which only made Hanayo blush harder. "You two seem pretty close, with the handholding and all. I remember when Maki would freak out if I got within two feet of her because she was so weirded out by physical contact. She'd barely talk to any of us during practices, except to argue with Nico. We did start to break her out of her shell, but I was worried that the breakup would send her right back in there." She smiled at Hanayo, her smile warm and thankful. "But the way you were helping her here, it seems I don't have anything to worry about."

"W-Well, I'm just doing what any friend would do..." She fidgeted nervously, but she was just as flattered as she was embarrassed. It was amazing what a single person could do for someone. She was just normal, boring old Hanayo, but hearing that she was making a noticeable, positive impact on Maki made her happy. Even if it wasn't much, it was something, and that was something her self-esteem issues couldn't take away. At least in the moment.

"Sounds like you're a pretty good friend, then." Nozomi started to scoop rice into the bowls she had set out, humming to herself. Hanayo watched her set up lunch for a bit, then turned to watch Maki conversing with Eli. She noticed the smile that was on her face: slight, but it was there. The tension that had permeated the entire day seemed to be gone, and she couldn't be happier about that. That brought so much relief to her mind.

However, that didn't mean her mind was completely at ease. She now had time to think about something that Nozomi said: _"Eli and I started out as friends too. You can see where that ended up."_ Was she really suggesting that she and Maki would start dating at some point? No, it had to be a bit of teasing. There was no way Maki would date someone like her. She'd said that repeatedly, and it still rang true, even as their friendship grew.

What if it _did_ happen, though? She should know better than to think about things that could never happen, but you know what? What about all those dreams she'd had of meeting BiBi? Of getting to be in their presence. That had seemed impossible, and yet there she was, standing in Eli's kitchen with all three members within fifteen feet of her. That had been an impossible fantasy, and it had come true without any fanfare. Who's to say that she and Maki _couldn't_ get together?

She had to shake her head sharply to get that idea out of her mind. Yes, she'd had one fantasy come true today, but she couldn't get so conceited that she expected all of them to happen. She and Maki were just friends. That's all they were. If she wasn't careful, she was going to be very disappointed when nothing actually happened. 

"Hey, Hanayo?" Eli called out to her, coming over with an easygoing smile. "I heard from Maki that you're a fan of ours. Wanna take a picture together with the band?" Speaking of impossible fantasies... She just stared wide-eyed at Eli, unable to answer for a few seconds. The best she could do was to nod her head once, because her vocal chords were no longer working properly. "Nozomi, mind taking a picture of us?"

"No problem, babe." Whipping out her phone, Nozomi went over to Nico and prodded her until she finally stood up and went to join her former bandmates. As Eli, Maki, and Nico came to stand around her, Hanayo thought she might just die before the picture was taken. With her in the middle, Nico stood on her left and Maki on her right. Eli, being the tallest, stood behind them with her arms wrapped around Maki and Nico. Despite Nico's initial protests, she shut up after a stern look from Nozomi. It didn't take much more wrangling to get them all to smile for the picture. "Alright! Mind giving me your number, Hanayo? I'll text this to you."

"S-Sure!" They exchanged numbers, and soon enough a picture of the four of them was on Hanayo's screen. Her hands shook as she stared at it, her only other movements being to rapidly save the picture before she somehow accidentally deleted it. Then she went back to staring at it, forgetting the world around her. She had actual proof that she was in the same room as BiBi. They had all taken a picture with her! Life really _was_ worth living, everyone!

"Uh, is she okay?" Nico quirked an eyebrow, unsure of if they needed to help her or just let her do... whatever she was doing.

"Yeah, she does that sometimes."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to see how it all ends.

After the reconciliation lunch, things seemed to get better between the former BiBi members. Maki had told Hanayo that they all were back on speaking terms, and while it was still early, the possibility of a reunion hadn't been ruled out. Hearing that got her hopes up to astronomical levels. She could live with just a year break-up if they happened to get back together within that time frame. Who wouldn't want their favorite band to get back together? And she kind of sort of helped with that! Just a little.

Coincidentally or not, she and Maki had started to hang out more after that. They still had lunch together, but now they were spending more time in each's other company when they weren't busy with school. She even got to see Maki's dorm for the first time, which was... well, it was a surprise, to be honest. It looked like it had been hastily cleaned right before she came over, and the fridge had more takeout boxes than it did groceries. Once she'd wrangled out the fact that Maki had no idea how to cook, she'd promised to come over and teach her how to prepare her own meals. Eating out all the time wasn't very healthy!

Today they had made a return trip to the concert hall that Maki had taken her to weeks ago. They were sitting on the stage in the Nishikino Hall, side by side on a piano bench. When they got there this time, there was a grand piano already set up on stage, which Maki had immediately set off for. She wasn't sure if this was a coincidence or if Maki had requested the piano be there. The truth hadn't been spoken, and she didn't feel like asking just yet. She felt like Maki might tell her if she waited long enough.

"I've been thinking about something Eli mentioned to me back when we went to their house together." She slid her fingers across the keys, though not hard enough to press any of them down. "We ended up talking about you, and she said that she thought you were good for me." Hanayo smiled, though she still felt some embarrassment at the praise. Especially when it was coming from someone she greatly admired. "Though she thought we were dating for some reason."

"O-Oh..." So Nozomi wasn't the only one mentioning it... Actually, Nico had said it too. Probably as a jab, but apparently Maki being around any girl was grounds for her being in a relationship with them. She must really not have many people in her life that were really close to her. Then again, she could understand that. The same statements had been said about her and Rin back in the day due to Rin's touchy-feely tendencies. Some people still believed that they were either still together or had a thing at some point. "What'd you say?"

"I told her that we weren't dating." Which was true. "But..." Wait, there was a 'but'? She perked up, wondering where this was going. "It made me think about it. About us dating, I mean. I've never dated anyone before... I know it sounds weird, because I was in a band and all, but there was never anyone I wanted to go out with. It seemed strange anyway. I thought I was too young to do that kind of stuff. Everything I'd heard about young relationships made it seem so unappealing."

"I've never been in a relationship either." She chimed in rather unhelpfully, and pretty obviously as well. Except for the people who believed she had been involved with Rin, nobody would ever look at her and believe she'd ever been with another person in a romantic way.

"When I thought about it, I couldn't imagine dating anybody from the band. It'd be even more distracting than Eli and Nozomi already are, and a break up would destroy the band all over again. I've never even though of either of them in that way anyway. Not that I'd date Eli regardless. I'm not a homewrecker or anything." She had to make sure to cover all her bases, in case anyone thought she'd do something in such bad conscience. "But I thought about it with you, if we were together, and... I, uh, I couldn't see much of a problem with it."

"Wait, really?" She had not expected those words to come out of Maki's mouth. "You... don't see a problem with dating me?" In the back of her mind, she was screaming at herself to shut up before she made it worse. All she was doing was giving any doubts Maki might have ammunition. Why couldn't she just let this happen, darnit?

"You're the closest friend I've ever had. I feel the most comfortable when I'm with you. It feels like I can actually be myself and say things that I wouldn't dare say to anyone else." She looked over Hanayo, smiling softly. "If it wasn't for you, I would've never called Nozomi back, and I never would've spoken to them again. It was because of you being there to support me that I felt like I could go over there and apologize. I don't know how I could ever thank you..."

"Y-You don't have to thank me..." She fiddled with the bottom of her skirt, blushing profusely. All this praise was going to be the death of her. Too many good things were happening to her all at once. Rin had said that it was karma coming back to reward her for how amazing a person she was, but she found that hard to believe. If karma was real, it probably had no idea she existed. Her name had been written in too small of a font on its list.

"Well I'm thanking you anyway, so deal with it." She moved around on the bench until she was properly facing Hanayo, her legs straddling each side. "I... wanted to ask you something, actually. Concerning this, I mean. And if you don't want to, it's completely understandable. Don't feel like you have to say yes to me just because we're friends or anything. I don't want to pressure you into doing anything you don't want to do-"

"Maki?" She stopped rambling at the sound of Hanayo's voice. "I can't say no if I don't know what you're going to ask." She had this inkling of a feeling she knew what was going to be asked, but she didn't want to make any assumptions. She had to hear it straight from Maki herself, so there could be no misconstruing. 

"Right, right..." She took a deep breath, straightening herself out. Hanayo waited patiently, though her insides were churning like mad every second she had to wait for what Maki wanted to ask her. "I wanted to ask you if... if you..." She started to turn red, and had to keep her hands gripping the bench space between them to avoid trying to play with her hair as usual. "I wanted to ask if you wanted to go out with me!"

So she was right: Maki _did_ want to ask her out. That... didn't make any sense. She looked over her shoulder, checking to see if there was someone standing there that Maki was actually talking to, but it was just the two of them. Then she pointed at herself, still unable to truly believe it. Maybe there had been a person, and they'd fallen through a trapdoor or something. Maki nodded, withdrawing into herself slightly. Her lack of an answer may have led Maki to believe that she wasn't sure about saying yes.

"M-Me?" As if pointing at herself hadn't been enough. "But I'm just..." She shrugged pathetically, deflating somewhat as she did what she'd told herself not to do and denigrated herself. "I'm just plain, boring Hanayo."

"You're not plain or boring, though! You're normal, and I think that's what I need. I don't want to date someone who's famous. That'd be such a trial, and I don't think I could take it if I ended up with someone whose ego is as big as Nico's. You're not like that, though." She reached out and took Hanayo's hands, gently rubbing them. "You're sweet, and you don't think so highly of yourself. I mean, you should absolutely think highly of yourself, because you're great, but... it's nice that you don't have a big head."

"Can I answer your question before I pass out?" Maki nodded, worried that she might actually do that. "Yes. I would love to go out with you." She sat there waiting, but she remained conscious throughout. "Huh... Guess I'm not going to pass out." That made Maki laugh, harder than Hanayo had ever seen. "Wh-What?" She squirmed in embarrassment, wondering if Maki was laughing at her.

"Nothing, n-nothing... I'm just relieved, that's all. I didn't know if you'd say yes." She really didn't think that Hanayo would say yes to going on a date with her? Hanayo knew that she had similar social anxiety issues to her, but that just seemed so unbelievable. Not in a million years could it be believed, even with all this information available. She must've looked like she was going to say something to that effect, because Maki held up a hand to stop her. "I know what you're going to say. Just understand that I doubt myself too, alright?" 

"I understand." Well, she understood from a conceptual level, but still. 

"Good." Maki smiled softly, turning around so that she was facing the piano. "Do you mind if I play something for you?" Did she mind? _Did she mind?! _Having Maki play the piano privately for her was only part of the most well-received fanfiction she'd ever written. She just shook her head, not trusting herself to say anything close to competent in this moment. With a nod, Maki flexed her fingers above the keys, then began to play.

Her piano playing was even more perfect than it had been at the concert. Having her playing right next to her made the sound so clear. This was the best way to hear her play. Then she started to sing, and Hanayo couldn't look away. _"Who am I, yes? You've grown curious, yes? Then it might just be love. Knowing secrets lie hidden in my heart, what will you do about that?"_ Gods, her voice... It was absolutely angelic, sinking through her ears and into her very core. She was completely transfixed.

_"Sweeter than a smile. Are tears brought about from a lie? Hiding transience and fragileness. You're someone precious: someone pure."_ This... wasn't one of BiBi's already-recorded songs. She knew all there was to know about their music. Even stripped down to just a piano, she'd be able to remember the lyrics and match them to a song. This, though? This was something new. She was hearing a brand new song... Was she the first one to ever hear this?!

_"You'll come with me, yes? You've grown curious about my touch, yes? Then it's already love. Our love is our battle. Will you make my heart your soldier?"_ Maki stopped singing, though she continued to play the piano for another twenty seconds. Then, with a final stroke of the keys, the song ended. The echo of the last key sustained itself for a moment before the room lapsed into silence. Maki closed her eyes and exhaled, then her eyes fluttered open as she glanced over at Hanayo. "So... What'd you think?"

"It's... so amazing..." She whispered, as if speaking any louder would break the spell that the song had left on her. "It's got your specific style of writing, and the piano accompaniment makes it sound so intimate. I've never heard it before, and I've heard every BiBi song ever recorded. Did you recently write this?"

"Mhm. It's something I started working on in the last couple of weeks. I haven't felt much inspiration to write since the band broke up. A few lines here or there, but nothing substantial." She blushed, looking down at the keys. "Things have changed recently, though. It's not finished, but I'm glad that I've been able to get back to doing this. Music has always been a way for me to say what's in my heart. Things I can't say out loud except through singing."

"Well, it was beautiful." Every time she thought,_ 'Well, this has to be the best day of my life'_, it kept getting challenged in short order. Getting a private performance of a new song from her crush who had just asked her out was real tough to beat, though. "You're already spoiling me with this before our date. You're too charming, Maki." She giggled at the blush that got, but she was already prepared for them to both blush their way through any dates they may go on. That was alright with her.

"Maybe you deserved to be spoiled." Ah, now the blush was on the other cheek. "I'm going to think of the perfect place to take you for a first date. Please be patient with me while I come up with something that I hope will be perfect for you."

"You don't have to go to all that trouble. Honestly, if you took me to a fast food restaurant, I'd still be mesmerized."

"Absolutely not! It's going to be a _first_ first date for both of us, right? Then it has to be perfect. Got it?" Hanayo giggled and nodded. She didn't mind wherever Maki wanted to take her, but she wasn't going to say no to going somewhere fancy or whatever else Maki had in mind. No matter what, she knew it was going to be perfect because it was her. "You know, I wanted to thank you."

"Huh? For what?" Was she being thanked for saying yes to the date? There had been zero point zero percent chance that she'd say no.

"For inspiring me to write again. I hadn't been in the best mindset after BiBi broke up, but you helped bring me back up. I hadn't thought you'd want anything to do with me after I yelled at you the first time we met. My personality can be... _abrasive_, and people don't tend to want to me around me unless I can do something for them. You were different, though. You let me sit with you at lunch, and you wanted to keep being around me. Your presence made me realize what it was like to have a real friend, and it's something that I don't ever want to take for granted."

"Wow, that's... Th-Thanks..." She was burning up at this point, not having expected such high praise. "B-But you've helped me too! I only had Rin as a friend before you, and I never would've dreamed that I could speak to you without falling into hysterics. I'm really, really happy that I've been able to make friends with you. It's like a dream that I never want to wake up from." She placed her hands on Maki's, smiling. "And it looks like I don't have to."

Maki flipped her hands over so that the two of them could hold hands. Hanayo was happy with just sitting there on the piano bench, holding hands and looking into her future date's eyes. Everything about her was so captivating, from her eyes to her smile, from her music to her personality. There wasn't a single thing about her that didn't draw her in, and she was excited to be taken along for whatever ride she was about to go on. No doubt about it: this was definitely the best day of her entire life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking around! I never did think of how this would end when I came up with the idea three years ago. I also never added the scene where Rin got to drive Maki's sportscar, and then got them pulled over by the cops. It has pretty much everything else, though, so that's good. And what'd I tell you, Finn? It IS a happy ending.


End file.
